Ask Me To Stay
by Ash Knight
Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences.
1. And So It Begins

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: And so it begins. . .

Author: Ash Knight

Pairings: (undecided)

Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

Kurt walked into his house exhausted. The last couple of days had been rather trying and despite Rachael and him doing a duet together he still felt lonely. After the talk with his dad Kurt was glad he didn't try to sing with Sam. But in the end it hurt that he couldn't at least try to be his friend. Mercedes was an amazing friend, there was no denying that, but in the end despite him being so effeminate he was still a guy. It would have been nice if he could have made Sam his friend. Sam seemed ok with him being gay, unlike the rest of the guys in glee let alone the rest of the school.

Spotting his dad napping on the couch he decided to start dinner. As he looked through the vegan cook book he spotted the newspaper on the counter out of the corner of his eyes. He wouldn't have looked twice at it if it wasn't for a certain article catching his eye. Picking it up he read the small article about the glee clubs resident badass. The article thankfully didn't mention Puck by name but Kurt didn't know anyone else who tried to steal an ATM machine recently. Before he even knew what he was doing he was dialing Finn's cell.

"Hey, Finn bad timing?"

"Uh. . . no what's up?" Finn asked awkwardly.

"I was just wondering if you had heard anything about Puck" Kurt replied.

"Puck? Why?"

"Well I . . . just though that since he was your friend you would know if he was ok."

"Kurt, me and Puck don't really talk anymore. Besides, I though you'd be glad to see Puck locked up" Finn said.

"Well then I guess you don't know much about me Finn" Kurt snapped.

"What's up with you? First you almost get Sam beat up by trying to do a duet with him, and now you're asking about Puck? Kurt neither one of them likes you! Their not gay!"

"This has nothing to do with me being gay!" Kurt yelled. "I was only asking about Puck because I saw the article in the newspaper and I was worried about him! Look, just give me Puck's home number and I'll find out for myself if he's ok."

Finn gave Kurt Puck's number and then hung up. Getting back to making dinner for his dad only helped to calm him down a little bit. No matter what he did it seemed like he couldn't get anyone passed his sexuality. And the fact that Finn accused him of trying to now get Puck into bed was a new low. Despite their history of bully and victim, Kurt was able to see past it and at least show some concern for his fellow glee club member. They were supposed to be a team and no one even seemed to care that Puck was in trouble beyond the fact that it was going to hurt their chances to win against Vocal Adrenalin. When they came back from their summer vacation, Kurt had agreed with Mercedes that they had all united together, but now he saw how wrong that statement was.

Looking at it as objectively as he could he couldn't remember ever really hanging out with anyone from glee, besides Mercedes, outside of anything to do with glee. Since, he was always the proverbial loner he learned how to observe people very well, and what he saw in the glee club lately wasn't very good. They all seemed to be at each others throats or backstabbing each other and in the end it just seemed like they were heading for a huge fallout. Kurt was brought out of his musing by the sound of the television being turned on. His dad like always wouldn't miss a new episode of 'Deadliest Catch' and it wasn't surprising he woke up in time to catch a new episode.

"Dinner's almost already dad" Kurt called out.

"Deadliest Catch is on, I'll eat after" Burt responded.

"Dad you need to eat! I'll bring it into the living room, but you're going to eat a healthy meal" Kurt declared exasperatedly.

After another 15 minutes Kurt was done and brought everything out in a tray.

"Alright dad, tonight you are having eggplant, tomato, and spinach lasagna with a nice chicken Caesar salad. Bon Appetite!"

"Thanks son" Burt chuckled, as he sat up and let Kurt serve him dinner. "So how was your day?"

"Same as always, but Rachael was nice enough to offer to do a duet with me in glee even though the duet is contest over."

"Is that what you and Finn were yelling about?" Burt asked eyeing his son.

"No that's not what we were yelling about dad" Kurt sighed. "One of the other members of the glee club got himself into some big trouble and no one else seems to even care."

"What kind of trouble?" Burt pressed.

"He drove his moms Volvo into a convenient store and drove off with the ATM."

"Is he the one who got Finns girlfriend pregnant?"

"Yeah, Puck, that's him alright. I was asking Finn if he had heard anything from him."

"So then why the yelling?" Burt pressed.

"Finn just got on my nerves, that's all dad" Kurt shrugged and stood up from the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's ok dad, I'm just tired is all. When you're done with dinner, just leave the dishes in the sink and I'll take care of them before I go to bed" Kurt answered as he began to walk towards his room.

Seeing his son wanted to be alone he watched as Kurt walked off heading for his room. Kurt sat down at his vanity mirror and dialed Pucks home number. The ensuing conversation was very unpleasant to say the least. Mrs. Pukerman was obviously still very mad about what had happened, which was understandable. However, she didn't seem to care at all about her son being in juvvie, and seemed to be glad in getting rid of him and had washed her hands of him. She told Kurt that Puck's hearing was scheduled for the 31st of November and that he was going to stay locked up until then, unless someone posted his bail of $780 dollars. The only time she had spoken to him since his arrest was when she was brought to the police station to see him, which she then told him he could rot and that if he somehow got out he wasn't allowed back home anymore.

Trying to think of what he could do, Kurt applied his nightly skin cream to his face and went about his nightly ritual. The bail money was easy, as he could just use his own money, but the hearing was not so simple. For that he would need a lawyer and a damn good one if they were going to get Puck out of the mess he had made. Mulling things over Kurt finally got a plan together. It was definitely risky, and he needed his dad to help for the 2nd part, and sadly enough Rachael Berry for the 3rd, but it was the only thing he could do. Kurt just couldn't believe he was even doing this. He was actually going to help Puck of all people out. If it was Mercedes there'd be no question about helping her. She was his friend, and she had always stood by him no matter what and even encouraged Kurt to come out and be who he was.

Puck on the other hand was definitely not his friend. Ever since kindergarten Puck had made Kurt his punching bag. He couldn't think of Puck without thinking of all the torment that he had lived through at the bully's hands. But ever since Puck had joined glee he hadn't bothered with Kurt. He still bullied the other geeks and nerds at the school of course; he had grown up during the whole thing with Quinn, although obviously not enough if he had got himself in trouble yet again this year.

Not wanting to think about it anymore Kurt wiped off the face creams and then went upstairs to do the dishes. Afterwards he decided it was time to work on his project again. He went to his hope chest and pulled out a leather-bound portfolio book that was hidden under all of his tiaras. He started this book last year just before he had joined the football team. Inside were all his ideas for glee, from costumes he had personally sketched out in detail to choreography. But after they finally had twelve members he started adding more, a lot more. Inside now were break downs of everyone's vocal range and songs that he thought each of them should try to perform. After that it built up to duets mixing and matching all of the members together with all types of songs, from show tunes to rock music.

Then it kept going from duets to trios and so forth until there were songs for the whole group. Besides all of that there was a DVD attached to the back cover of the book. On the DVD were recorded performances he had made himself over the year before. His first one was the single ladies performance he had done with Tina and Brittany that he thankfully finished after the embarrassing moment of his father walking in on them right in the middle. After that it was footage of him singing in many different styles each one showing how versatile his voice was as well as his dancing. He had even gotten a recording of his performance with the cheerios singing in perfect French, which of coarse won the championship last year. He wanted to add one last recording of himself singing his own original song. He was working on the lyrics and hoped that he would finish it before the deadline came in December.

Originally the book was meant to be a portfolio of all his artistic talent for a prestigious performing arts school he wanted to go to in NYC. He found out they had an early admission program for the truly gifted with a full scholarship. He met all the requirements except one: he needed to be at least seventeen. His birthday was coming up soon and he hoped to submit it with a complete dozen songs. But even if he did the only other problem was his dad. He talked to his dad about it last year and his dad told him he was still too young to just take off for NYC and test out of school early. Now this year he was going to apply anyway and if he somehow managed to get the scholarship then he would confront his dad about it then.

By the time Kurt stopped working it was nearly midnight. Kurt put the book into his bag as well as his camera, needing to use the equipment in the auditorium to finish his song. He took a quick shower and then went back into his room while using a towel to dry his hair. The one good thing about not having to share a room with Finn anymore was that he could walk around nude again. He liked being comfortable more than anything when he was at home and Finn definitely took that away when he was here. Once he was dry, Kurt put on an old jersey his dad had given years before and some sweat pants. Finally, falling in bed he hoped tomorrow would turn out ok.


	2. Hold My Hand

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Hold My Hand

Author: Ash Knight

Pairings: (undecided)

Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

The blaring alarm woke Kurt up at 6 a.m. Kurt hadn't gotten much sleep as he spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to clear his mind of everything that he was planning. And he was dreading the conversation he was about to have with his father. Rubbing the grit out of his eyes Kurt went to the bathroom to take care of his morning needs and then went upstairs to start breakfast. Looking for everything he would need and quickly preparing the ingredients he began making his fathers breakfast with his usual gusto. It didn't take long for Burt Hummel to come down the stairs.

"Morning dad" Kurt greeted as he began cutting up a grapefruit.

"Morning son" Burt groggily replied as he sat down on at the kitchen counter and began watching his son cook.

Kurt had always loved cooking with his mother when he was a little boy, and it was something he had never stopped loving. After his wife died he tried to take over the kitchen with disastrous results. After a bad case of food poisoning his son had literally put his foot down and banned him from the kitchen. In that moment of stubbornness he was so much like his mother he sometimes swore he could see her looking at him right through his son's eyes. Burt was brought out of his reminiscing as Kurt walked over with food.

"Here you go dad, a nice bowl of peaches and creams oatmeal with fresh peach slices and half a grapefruit, with a nice cup of fresh squeezed orange juice. And get that look off your face, you know its good for you and it is long past the time for you to take better care of yourself."

"Son, its not that I don't appreciate the thought but this whole health nut thing just isn't me."

"Well dad until your stress test in two weeks it **is** you. If you pass and your doctors say you're ok, I'll try to make a healthy menu that you can deal with but until then your sticking to your diet" Kurt declared clearly trying to restrain his emotions.

"Kurt, I'm fine! It's not your job to take care of me!"

"This isn't about that dad!" Kurt retorted. "You almost died! Can't you understand that? And instead of you doing what you need to get better, all you want to eat for breakfast is two slim jims and a coke! So don't tell me that you're fine because your not! And don't tell me that everything is going to fine in the end because this isn't some TV show were somehow things work out in the end because its not!" Kurt yelled, and braced himself on the counter top with his back against his father as he tried to regain some of his composure.

"I'm sorry Kurt," Burt said as he wrapped his arms around his son. "I know you're scared but I'm not planning on going anywhere." Burt tried to reassure his only child.

"I know you're not planning it dad, but you and I both know life doesn't work out the way" Kurt said as he wiped the tears from his face and calmed himself down.

"You're right Kurt, but worrying about what might be isn't gong to help any either. I appreciate you trying to take care me, but in the end, I'm the father, I'm the adult in this house. You shouldn't have to worry about me like I'm you're responsibility."

"Dad, I'm not taking care of you because I feel responsible for you. I'm doing all of this because . . . you're all I have left."

"Oh son. . . I wish you're mother was here to tell me what you need to hear to make you feel better. I was never any good at this emotion stuff. In the end all I can tell you is that for right now, I'm here and I love you son" Burt breathed out softly.

"That's more than enough dad. Let's just take it one day at a time for now, ok?"

"That's a good idea Kurt" Burt agreed and held onto to his son a moment longer before he let him go and sat back down to eat the breakfast his son had made for him.

Kurt busied himself serving himself a bagel and a glass of orange juice for himself and then sat down at the counter alongside his father. He began to eat along with his father in silence, trying to find an easy way to ask what he needed and finding no way other than just asking straight out.

"Dad I need to ask you for something, something big, and I just need for you to hear me out before you get mad or anything."

"Alright, what's going on Kurt?"

"Remember last night when I told you about Puck?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Burt asked as he eyed his son critically.

"Well, his mom kinda had it with him and threw him out, and now he needs a place to stay. Can we invite him to stay with us until everything blows over?"

"Isn't this the same kid who bullied you and threw pee balloons at you, along with nailing our lawn furniture to our roof?"

"Yeah dad, but. . . Finn was with him while he was doing it, and you didn't have a problem with Finn living here" Kurt retorted.

"Last time I checked, Finn was never arrested Kurt!"

"I know dad, but he has no one else and no where to go. All I ask is that you give him a chance. If he blows it you can kick him back out."

"Why is this so important to you? I thought you didn't like him at all?"

"To be honest I don't know dad. It's just . . . it just feels like the right thing to do, rather than just letting the system put him god knows where. Besides dad, he isn't all bad. After he joined glee he never bothered me anymore. Maybe he just needs someone to believe in him. None of the other glee members seem to really even care, his mother has written him off, and now he's all alone."

"Kurt . . . you really are just like your mother sometimes. If it means this much to you . . . I'll give him one shot, but you better let him know that as long as he lives under this roof there are gonna be rules he has to follow or he's out."

Kurt quickly grabbed his dad in a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. Burt chuckled at his son's reaction and then reminded him he had to get to school. In a rush Kurt went down stairs and went to take a shower. When he was done he sat at his vanity mirror and was about to begin to his daily ritual of skin cream and make up when he suddenly decided he just didn't feel like it today. Instead Kurt just went straight to his clothes cabinet and started looking for something to wear. He took off his bathrobe and pulled on a pair black silk boxer briefs that hugged his hips generously.

After that he chose to dawn a pair a black jeans and as he was looking for a shirt he spotted a t-shirt Tina had talked him into buying at Hot Topic. It was one of the few times she had ever joined Kurt and Mercedes in socializing outside of glee as they all went to the mall shopping together. As Tina had dragged Kurt into the store he tried to keep an open mind. While some of the things he saw were never going to be his style since he wasn't Goth like Tina, he did see a few things he liked and that he could mix and match with his runway appearance. The t-shirt in question was a shirt Tina had saw him look at and had talked him into buying. It was a plain black novelty t-shirt that had the words "Everyday I Think People Cant Get Any Stupider, and Everyday I'm Proven Horribly Wrong" on the front in glow in the dark lettering.

Picking it up he pulled it on noticing it was a bit tight on his body since the last time he put it on, just before he bought it last year. Truth be told that was beginning to be a problem with most of his clothing. Ever since he joined the football team last year he had started to exercise more. Then when he joined the cheerios he doubled his exercise routine. He thankfully picked up on most of the basics he needed to keep up with them thanks to the dance lessons he had taken in the years before. However this summer he asked his dad for some gymnastic classes and thanks to his previous experience he had picked things up very quickly. Now after an intense summer of working out and hardcore gymnastics, not to mention the dancing he did in his room just for fun his body was very different from last year. His normal clothing and jackets hid it but now his chest and abs looked very chiseled and refined, much like Mike's own body only his shoulders were becoming a bit broader than Mikes and his pecks and arms were definitely better than Mike's. What Mike had in height Kurt was making up for in mass, as what his reflection was clearly advertising.

The shirt looked like it was spray painted onto his torso and Kurt couldn't help but let a satisfied smirk pass his lips as he checked his reflection in the dressing mirror. Next, Kurt took another shirt out of his closet, this one a white silk dress shirt and put it on over the t-shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. With that he pulled on some socks and put on pair black suede leather Alexander McQueen dress shoes. Once again not feeling like bothering much he simply brushed his hair and didn't put any of his usual products in. Once that was done he gathered his things for school and with a final goodbye to his dad he was for school in his father's car. Ever since the coma he had been driving his dads car since he no longer had one of his own and his dad was bedridden until the doctor said otherwise. He plugged in his ipod and hit play letting the music fill the car and singing along with it.

_The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing_

_It's time to start all over, make a new beginning_

_There's too much pain, too much suffering_

_Let's resolve to start all over make a new beginning_

_Now don't get me wrong – I love life and living_

_But when you wake up and look around at everything that's going down-_

_All wrong_

_You see we need to change it now, this world with too few happy endings_

_We can resolve to start all over make a new beginning_

_Start all over_

_Start all over_

_Start all over_

_Start all over_

Kurt kept singing all the way to school, inwardly smiling at the irony of the song that was playing. Since a new start was all he wanted, and what he was determined to make for himself. When he reached the school parking lot he looked around for Karofsky and Azimio as well as the other members of the football team that enjoyed giving him his almost daily dumpster dive. Not seeing them anywhere in sight yet he grabbed his bag and made a beeline straight for the front entrance. So far he was in the clear and made it to his locker without incident; so far so good.

"Kurt?" he heard a familiar voice said from behind him.

Kurt turned around with a smile and saw Mercedes gawking at him like he was some kind of alien.

"What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost or something."

"What are you wearing?"

"Girl, don't start hatin' just cause I look good. After all not everyone can be born as fabulous as you." Kurt said with a playful wink.

Mercedes just laughed and looked at her head up and down.

"Well last time I checked you were always just as fabulous, except now you seem to be screaming 'come and get it'" Mercedes said.

"Hey, like Uma Thurman said in "The Producers" 'if you got it flaunt it'" Kurt said in a sing song voice and gave his behind a playful slap.

Mercedes just rolled her eyes and began to laugh. Kurt opened his locker and began to sort out what he would need for the first half of the day and put it in his bag.

"Oh hell naw! Here we go" Mercedes drawled out looking over Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt slung his bag over his shoulder and looked down the hallway and saw Karofsky and Azimio walking down the other end with Karofsky hold a large slushy in his hands. However, Kurt saw they weren't heading for him and Mercedes. Instead, they were heading towards Artie who had just reached his locker. If anyone were to ask him, Kurt couldn't really give an answer for why he did what he did. Before he even knew what was happening Kurt had quickly sprinted over and grabbed the slushy out of Karofsky's hand and hit him right in the face with it. The entire hallway became as silent as a graveyard at midnight as they watched the blueberry mess splash onto the jocks face and begin to ooze down all over his body.

"You're dead faggot!" Karofsky yelled as he began to advance menacingly on Kurt.

"Go ahead and try" Kurt spat, hiding the fear that was quickly coursing its way through his body. "Your not getting enough pleasure from humiliating me so now you have to pick on one of your own teammates, you no count backwards trash!"

That was the final straw, and Karofsky blew his top and charged Kurt with every intention of tackling him to the ground and smashing his face in. On a purge surge of adrenalin Kurt charged also, and the moment Karofsky was close enough Kurt grabbed him by the shoulders and jumped over him like a pommel horse. Karofsky was sent straight into the lockers on the opposite wall with a resounding bang with all the combined force of his own charge and the push Kurt had given him. Kurt unfortunately didn't fare much better. As he pushed off Karofsky he flipped himself in the air intending to land on his feet. The problem with that was that Mercedes had unintentionally put herself right where he needed to land. Never wanting to hurt his friend he did the only thing he could. He spun his body in the air with all his strength away from Mercedes, having the desired effect of avoiding her but sadly it had the secondary effect of causing him to slam himself painfully into the ground with a huge slam. The other students that were watching winced at the sound but made no move other than to get a better view of the altercation.

Shocks of pain traveled up and down Kurt's back and he new his back was going to be one giant bruise. But he had no chance to contemplate on it further as he was roughly grabbed off the floor by his shirt and came face to face with Azimio. Azimio cocked his right hand back ready to punch Kurt right in the face while still holding him with his left hand. Once again pure adrenaline surged within Kurt and he let himself go limp, dodging the punch and sliding out of his white shirt. Azimio threw the shirt to the side tried to punch Kurt again. Trying to think as quickly as he could, Kurt sidestepped the punch, and then again as Azimio continued his assault, staying just out of his range keeping his feet light to step away each time like a dance, moving his body carefully. Looking to his left he moved in that direction, herding Azimio as fast as possible away from his friends. He knew he wasn't a fighter and that there was no point in trying to hit Azimio back, but maybe he wouldn't have to.

"Stand still and fight like a man you little bitch" Azimio spat as he sent another punch towards Kurt.

"Show me a real man and I'll fight him like one!" Kurt stated calmly, trying to desperately keep his emotions under control.

The insult had the desired effect and Azimio saw red putting as much force as he could. Using every ounce of speed he had in him Kurt ducked under and spun out of Azimio's reach. Instead of hitting Kurt's face Azimio had punched his fist straight through the glass window of a classroom door. He yelled in pain as his fist went through the glass and blood began to flow out of the cuts. Kurt's sense of victory was cut short however as he was tackled from behind. Karofsky had recovered and had taken the distraction to attack the resident homo, slamming him face first into the lockers. The jock then began to punch Kurt in the back and his side. Letting out a grunt at the pain, Kurt tried to spin around out of Karofsky's hold.

Suddenly the punches stopped and Kurt was no longer pinned to the locker. He turned around only to see Sam pinning Karofsky to the ground, struggling to keep the much bigger jock down on the ground.

"What the fuck is your problem Karofsky!" Sam yelled at the top of his voice.

"You're siding with that faggot?" Karofsky screamed as he tried to force Sam off.

The only answer he got was a punch in the face from Sam.

"Keep your hands of him you worthless piece of shit!" Sam yelled as he punched Karofsky once again.

Kurt watched as the newest member of glee actually did what the rest of the guys in glee, even Finn had never done, stand up for him. Even though Finn had stopped them that one time during the gaga assignment, he had never really pushed it any further for fear damaging his reputation. But Kurt was quickly brought out of his musing as he felt a blow to his solar plexus, knocking the air right out of his lungs and causing him to fall to his knees. He looked up and saw Azimio ready to kick him in the face. But once again it seemed like luck was on Kurt's side as Azimio was grabbed from behind and shoved up against the locker, by none other than Sue Sylvester.

"Enough!" she shouted bringing a halt to the violence.

She threw a look at Sam and he quickly jumped off Karofsky, allowing him to get up. Kurt looked at Karofsky's face and saw his lip was busted and right eye was already beginning to swell. Sam himself had a busted lip but didn't even seem to notice as he stepped back and stood next to Quinn who quickly took his hand. Behind them he saw Finn standing there looking at the scene with the rest of the students, looking uncomfortable with his hands stuffed awkwardly in his pocket.

"How dare you lay a finger on one of my Cheerios" Sue spoke menacingly. "Principals office now!"

Karofsky and Azimio shot one last murderous look at Kurt and stalked off giving Sam a glare also as Karofsky bummed into him as he passed.

"You preggo, I want you and showtunes here in my office in five minutes" Sue said to Quinn as she spotted her with Sam.

She then turned towards her office and pushed a couple of students out of her way. Kurt gingerly got up and looked for his shirt, only to spot it and most of his things scattered all over the floor. He quickly picked up the shirt and put it back on, wincing at the pain as he moved his back muscles and began to quickly pick up his things, stuffing them quickly back into his bag.

"Kurt . . . that . . . you were awesome!" Artie stammered out. "That was really cool of you to stick up for me. I'll never forget the looks on their faces as the slushy hit him right in the face. I never knew you could move like that" he said enviously.

Kurt just ignored him as he continued to pick his things off the floor.

"Kurt, you ok boo?" Mercedes asked worriedly as she saw her friend ignore Artie.

"I'm fine" Kurt said simply as he stood up and began to walk away from them.

He could hear Mercedes calling him along with Artie, and surprisingly by Sam as well. As he walked off he could see some of the other students pointing and murmuring as he passed by.

-next scene-

"What just happened?" Artie asked, very confused at what he had just seen happen before his eyes.

"I don't know. Something is wrong with Kurt, I've never seem him like that. I mean even his clothes. . ." Mercedes chimed in.

"What do you think is going?" Artie asked Mercedes.

"I don't know but whatever it is it must be something big" she answered.

"Do you think he's mad at me?" Sam inquired shyly.

"I don't see why, you didn't do anything wrong" Quinn declared as she gave Sam's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah man, you totally helped him out, even Finn didn't do that" Artie answered. "Thanks Sam, I know you were trying to help Kurt, but I appreciate it too."

"We gotta stick together right?" Sam said as he extended his fist forward.

"Preach" Artie replied meeting Sam's fist with his own.

"Maybe I can talk to Kurt and see what's up. I gotta go to go Sylvester's office so I'll see him there" Quinn said.

They all agreed and with one final look towards Sam she let go of his hand and began to walk towards the coach's office. The rest had to go off to class as they heard the bell ring and went their separate ways. Artie quickly opened his locker to get his algebra book when he saw a book open on the floor. He went over to pick it up and saw with a shock of surprise that it was open to a page with the names "Artie & Brittany" on the top and a drawing of himself and Brittany on the page. Only instead of how he and the cheerio normally looked, Artie was sitting on a throne instead of his usual wheelchair. The throne was made out of what looked like gold and obsidian and molded to look like dragon wings coming out of Artie's back and the arm of the throne where carved symbols and patterns. Artie was wearing a pair of tight leather pants and what looked like red and black motorcycle boots that reached up to his calves. For a shirt he was wearing a blood red tight muscle shirt and over it a leather vest held closed with a metal clasp shaped like a golden dragon. On his left arm was a black bracer with a silver wolf etched into it swallowing the full moon and chains and buckles running up with arm like armor. On his right hand was a gauntlet made of silver making his hands look like claws and across his lap was a simple black electric guitar.

Brittany was dressed in a short red and black flannel mini skirt with chains around the waist. On her legs she wore fishnet stockings and a pair of fancy black high healed boots. For a top she wore a tank top made of black and red silk, or so the note attached to the drawing said. Attached to her arms were also leather straps and buckles and out of her back protruded a pair of red and black angel wings. Just as he was about to look through the book, the sound of the late bell rang bringing him out of his thoughts. He quickly stuffed the book into his bag behind his chair and went off to class.

-next scene-

Quinn reached Sylvester's office only to see the coach there and not Kurt. Wondering where he could have gone she sat down waiting for Sue to say something. The door opened again and Kurt walked in and took the seat next to Quinn, holding down a wince as the pain in his back shot up his spine.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we, the less time I have to spend looking at Fabray's stretch marks the better. I've decided that its time to shake things up a bit, so from now on the both of you will be sharing the title of head cheerleader."

Kurt's eyes widened at the news and couldn't believe this was happening.

"But, I'm supposed to be head cheerleader!" Quinn sputtered out.

"I don't even want to be head cheerleader!" Kurt replied. "Quinn is doing a great job on her own."

"Aw, isn't that sweet of you to say, but the fact is you've become quite well known after nationals, and if its one think Sue Sylvester knows its how to give people what they want. Now get out of my office, before the stench of your youth makes my colon clench."

Kurt and Quinn walked out, neither one pleased with how things were going.

"I'm sorry Quinn. I swear I didn't want this."

"It's not your fault Kurt, I don't blame you. I appreciate what you said in there."

Kurt just nodded not knowing what to say and began to walk off to class.

"Kurt wait, what happened this morning? Are you ok?"

"Don't worry about it Quinn, it's what I'm used to" Kurt shrugged, immediately regretting it and turned his back and continued walking to class.

His first two classes went smoothly thankfully, and he tried to concentrate on what was being taught. As soon as he was set free from class by the bell he headed to the lunchroom. Feeling drained he picked out his food and paid for it.

"Hey Kurt, over here!" Kurt heard someone called out.

He turned to the right to see Sam waving him over to his table where Quinn was seated next to him, along with Mercedes and Artie. He began to walk over to them when he suddenly felt someone grab his arm. Tensing up and bracing himself for a blow, he turned and saw Finn.

"What are you doing Kurt?"

"What are you talking about?' Kurt snapped and pulled his arm out of Finn's grasp.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Sam. You being near him is gonna get him killed, especially after this morning. Don't make it worse for him Kurt. He isn't gay."

"I didn't start that fight this morning! And last time I checked I didn't need your permission to make friends with anyone Finn."

"You and I both know the reason you want to hang out with him and it's not to be just friends. Kurt, I know getting over me isn't easy for you but you just can't start by coming onto another straight guy. Now that Puck is gone we can't afford to lose anymore members. Do the right thing Kurt, just leave him alone."

"Alright that's it!" Kurt yelled, getting the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. "First and foremost Finn, I hate to break it to you but, I don't like you anymore, and I admit to being an idiot for ever liking you in the first place! You're an idiotic imbecile that walks around with his head up ass just so you don't have to face the reality of what's really going on around you. And I can't believe you're arrogant enough to think that all I want to do is take off all my clothes of do you! Here's a reality check for you Hudson, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I think you're god's gift or something! And even if I was looking for boyfriend, I'd need a real man, not some guy who can only keep his dick hard for only twenty seconds. Because according to Santana, you couldn't even get it up for any longer than that. Then when you finally did get it up you didn't even know what to do with it and then couldn't stop yourself from shooting your load in another twenty seconds. So why would I want some idiotic, egotistical, homophobic, limp dick piece of shit like you!"

Kurt ended his rant by spilling his food all over Finn and then stormed out of the cafeteria, not even noticing the wide eyed looked he received from his friends at the table, but he did hear the ensuing laughter that followed from everyone else in the cafeteria as he stormed through the lunchroom doors. Knowing he needed to calm down he went to the only place he knew he could just be himself in; the auditorium. He walked through the back backstage area and out onto the stage and fell on his knees as he let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in. Things were definitely not going to be pleasant for awhile between him and Finn, especially now after his explosion in the lunchroom. But, to be honest he didn't even care and it didn't even matter. He didn't need Finn, because after all that had happened, any feelings Kurt had for Finn Hudson were long gone as he realized Finn wasn't even the kind of guy he thought he was. Kurt took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down, and as his heartbeat finally did he sat down on the stage. In the quite of the room he was about to reach into his bag for his ipod when he heard a sound and noticed for the first time he wasn't alone.

Looking up he didn't see anyone around but he knew he had heard someone. Kurt stood up and looked over to wear he thought the noise was coming from only to find Brittany sitting in the back row, sobbing while clutching what looked like a cheerios doll to her chest. Seeing her there looking so sad, really made him forget about his own problems. He walked off the stage and headed over to her, and wrapped his arms around the blonde girl. She cried into his chest for about minute as he rocked her gently in his arms, telling her he might be able to help if she told him what was wrong.

"I did something really bad to Artie, and now he won't even talk to me" Brittany finally said as her sobs quieted down.

"Yeah, I heard, Santana's been telling everyone" Kurt told her.

"I didn't want to hurt him. And I really like him a lot, especially now that I know he isn't half robot."

Kurt almost laughed but instead just gave her a big smile.

"You do understand why he's mad right?"

"I didn't know sex meant anything to him. It never does to the guys I sleep with."

"But Brittany, the guys you sleep with are all jerks, so of coarse it's not going to mean anything to them. Artie is very different from all those guys because he is a very good person and he wanted to give his virginity to someone who loved him."

"Is that why you didn't want to go all the way with me when we were in your basement?"

"That's one of the reasons" Kurt smiled, remembering how stupid he had been before. "Now, are you sure you want to be with Artie? Because it's going to be really bad if you hurt him again."

"Yeah, Artie makes me feel good, and he's like you for not making me feel bad about being stupid."

"Brittany you're not stupid, you just see things differently than anyone else and that's something really amazing. And if you really like him then maybe I can help you."

"How, he wont even talk to me? And my nose hurts from moving the meatball so many times."

"Well," Kurt began, ignoring the imagery that came with her last sentence, "how about I help you find a song and you can sing it to him to let him know how you really feel about him. I know I can find something and you can sing it for him in glee. Plus singing about my feelings usually helps me feel better, so it might do the same for you."

"Ok, when can you help me?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Well, Santana and I were gonna go to my house after school and scissor for a few hours, but I'm still really mad at her."

"Ok . . . well then how about tomorrow night you come over to my place and we can work on your song then."

"That'd be great!" Brittany declared and planted a kiss on Kurt's lips. "It's too bad you're the big G, you would make a girl really happy."

Kurt couldn't stop the blush that quickly spread across his entire face, but he just smiled and let Brittany lay her head against his chest. They sat there in companionable silence until they heard the bell ring letting them know lunch was over. Brittany gave him another kiss and walked out of the auditorium to go to her class. Kurt didn't want to go his other classes but he knew if he skipped the office might call his house and let his dad know, and he didn't want anymore stress at home. Thankfully his last two classes today were French class, which he already spoke perfectly so he didn't need his books for that one, and his last class was just study hall, which he could use to finish all of his homework he was given today.

By the time Kurt walked into the glee room, his back felt like it was being pounded on by a jackhammer with how much it was throbbing so much and it was really getting stiff. On top of that he was already feeling the other bruises forming on his stomach and his sides from where he got hit. Kurt took a chair and sat on it in reverse so as to not make the pain any worse. Brittany came in gave him a smile and sat next to him. Santana was already there and just rolled her eyes as she saw the blonde was still avoiding her. Tina and Mike were there too along with Matt and Mr. Shue. Sam and Quinn walked in next followed by Mercedes and Artie.

"Boo, why haven't you been answering my text, I've been trying to talk to you all day" Mercedes said as she walked right up to him clearly annoyed.

"I've had my phone off all day Cedes. I didn't mean to ignore you. And to be honest, today isn't really a good day for me, so please let's just move on already."

"What is going on with you Kurt?" Mercedes demanded clearly wanting answers.

"Mercedes, you know I love, but I am not in the mood. So please, Drop. It." Kurt spoke firmly, giving her a look that clearly stated she should drop it.

"Fine, but we are gonna talk Kurt Hummel" Mercedes snapped, obviously angry at her friend for shutting her out.

Everyone was watching the altercation between the two close friends who were usually always found together. It was very disturbing to see Kurt shut out Mercedes of all people. He made no secret about how much he cared about her, and to see him shutting her out was definitely something none of them ever thought they would see. Kurt however just didn't care at the moment, and he reached into his pocket and switched on his cell phone. He saw all of the messages Mercedes sent but was quickly brought out of his task as he felt someone glaring at him. Looking up from his phone he saw Finn glaring at him, clearly pissed off at what had happened at lunchtime, which was still evident by the mess staining his shirt and jeans. For a moment it looked like Finn was going to come over and start something which really made Kurt angry again. Yes, what he had done in the cafeteria was wrong, but Finn wasn't innocent either. And to add insult to injury, Finn's blatant homophobia was getting on his nerves which only served to make Kurt angrier at one Finn Hudson and himself for ever putting Finn up on a pedestal. Finn sat in the back with Mike and Tina and just stared at the piano.

Suddenly Rachael walked into the choir room in a blaze of energy talking on her cell phone. She closed it with a quick snap and beamed at everyone with a big smile.

"Mr. Shue, I have a big an announcement to make" she stated as if she was the one really in charge of the club.

"Alright Rachael, let's hear it." He nodded for her to go on.

"My fellow glee club members, this morning I suddenly had a revelation. In the spirit of camaraderie I felt it was wrong to just forget about Puck when he clearly needs our help. So I just got off the phone with my gay dads lawyer and he's agreed to help with Puck's case."

She looked at them waiting for a huge thank you and lots of praise. What she got was a room full of nothing. Santana snorted clearly uninterested and Finn just shrugged his shoulders, Tina, Mike and Matt just nodded their heads. The only ones who had any kind of emotional reaction from what Kurt could see was Quinn, who still had a soft spot for Puck and considered him at least a friend, Sam who looked nervous, since he knew about Puck and Quinn's history together which was understandable. Artie said that was great and Mercedes said that she honestly hoped he could stay out of trouble if he did get out of juvvie.

"Well, that's great Rachael, that's very nice of you" Mr. Shue said. "So, moving on, now that the duets are over, I want you guys to each choose and sing a song about what you learned from working with your duet partners."

"Excuse me Mr. Shue" Kurt raised his hand.

"Yes Kurt?"

"I think I have a song already that perfectly says what I learned through the previous assignment. If I may" Kurt stood up and walked to the front of the room.

"Sure Kurt," Mr. Shue said as he took a seat and gave Kurt the floor.

Kurt went over to the musicians and whispered the song he wanted. He then stood by the piano and looked straight at Finn.

_And you bring me to my knees, again_

_All this time that I could beg you please, in vain_

_All the times that I felt insecure, for you_

_And I leave my burdens at the door_

Kurt kept a tight control on his voice, as he completely focused on Finn, ignoring all of the surprised looks from the looks his fellow glee club members.

_I'm on the outside_

_I'm looking in_

_I can see through you_

_See your true colors_

'_Cause inside your ugly_

_Ugly like me_

_I can see through you_

_See to the real you_

Rock music was never really his thing, but after he started expanding his repertoire in music and increasing his vocal range he found quite a few he really liked. This song in particular lately kept popping in his head ever since he had gotten back to school and had reminded him of how Finn made him feel. Making his voice sound deeper and deeper until he had gotten it just right, Kurt took a step forward towards Finn after each verse, never moving his gaze away.

_All this time that I felt like this wont end_

_It's for you_

_And I taste what I could never have_

_Was from you_

_All those times that I tried_

_My intentions_

_Full of pride_

_And I waste more time than anyone_

At this point Kurt almost broke his composure and he felt his own heart clench at he remember how he had made such a fool of himself the year before. He was so humiliated and ashamed of himself, and at the same time it was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on him. When he and Finn had finally exploded, he saw how clearly far away Finn truly was from him. The glee members were watching, all with a mixture of awe, shock, and surprise. They had never seen Kurt sing like this, or anything remotely like this. The emotions were almost literally rolling off his voice in waves, filling the room with all of the torment he felt. It was all perfectly clear to them that he was singing at Finn, and Finn sat there with Rachael holding his hand, feeling not only rage but a small amount of regret.

_I'm on the outside_

_I'm looking in_

_I can see through you_

_See your true colors_

_Cause inside you're ugly_

_Ugly like me_

_I can see through you_

_See to the real you_

_All the times that I cried_

_All this wastin_

_It's all inside_

_And I feel all this pain_

_Stuffed it down_

_It's back again_

_And I lie here in bed_

_All alone_

_I can't mend but I feel_

_Tomorrow will be okay_

By now Kurt was close enough to look Finn right in the eyes and finished the song with his voice getting quieter with each passing line.

_I'm on the outside_

_I'm looking in_

_I can see through you_

_See your true colors_

_Inside you're ugly_

_Ugly like me_

_I can see through you_

_See the real you…_

Kurt's voice slowly faded along with the last note of the song leaving the room in a deafening silence. Before anyone could recover, Kurt walked back to his chair and picked up his bag, only to turn and quickly walk out of the choir room.

"Kurt! Kurt wait!" he heard Artie calling out to him but he just kept walking away.

By the time Kurt reached his dads car he was taking deep breaths to steady his hands as he tried to pull out the key to the car. When he finally opened the door he sat down, flinching as his back pain flamed up at the contact with the car seat. He took a few deep breaths to get himself under control until his heart finally stopped beating a mile a minute. He was probably going to regret what he had just done, but he was just too emotionally exhausted to care at moment. He pulled out his cell phone as it started ringing and saw Mercedes calling him. He cut off the call, not able to deal with her right now, and turned on the gps in his phone on and brought up the directions he would need to drive to juvenile hall to visit Puck.

The car came to life as he turned the key and started the engine and with that he was off. Kurt drove in silence, not really feeling like listening to music. On his way he spotted a CVS and decided to get something for the pain he was in as well as something to eat since he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Quickly going to the medicine aisle he found a large bottle he would need and quickly went to find a bottle of water to drink some of them with. At the counter he picked up two granola bars and paid for everything. As soon as he got back into the car he tore open the granola bars and devoured them, not realizing how hungry he was until then. When they were gone he opened up the bottle of pills and took three, washing it down with some water.

Feeling a little better, he started the car again and took off towards his destination. He reached it after another twenty minutes of silent driving and took another five minutes to find a place to park. Going straight to the reception desk he asked for Noah Puckerman, and asked if he could visit. The receptionist, a female corrections officer looked up his name in the computer and said he was allowed visitors but that he hadn't received any since his arrival. Kurt asked if it was possible to bail him out and the receptionist gave him all the information for what he would have to do, which basically broke down to him signing a bunch of papers paying the bail out. Kurt asked if he could see Puck first and was told he could.

After he was searched and was told to check his bag and cell, he was brought through a few hallways until finally arriving in a room like the kind you see in the movies with the glass booths and telephones. He sat down on the stool and waited about ten minutes before he finally saw Puck come through the opposite door. He was wearing those orange jumpsuits they give prisoners when they take there clothes and was sporting a black eye. When Puck saw Kurt sitting there in the visitors' booth he was surprised. After all, Kurt Hummel was the last person he thought would visit him. Especially here of all places. Puck sat down and they both just stared at each other for a moment before Kurt picked his line up, Puck following a moment after.

"I'd ask how you are but I've never been a fan asking stupid questions."

"What are you doing here Hummel?"

"When Mr. Shuester told us you were locked up I figured you would like to see a friendly face, even if that face was mine."

"Not that I don't appreciate the thought Hummel but last time I checked you and I weren't exactly friendly" Puck said with an arched eyebrow.

"Well no offence Puck, but I don't see anyone else coming to visit you" Kurt replied. "Besides, even though we were certainly never close to say the least, I think I know you well enough by now to know you're actually a really good guy underneath."

"You don't know anything about me Hummel!" Puck ground out.

"Oh really Puck? I know you're the guy who stopped throwing slushies at people and stopped throwing me in the dumpster everyday after you joined glee. I know you're the guy who slashed all those tires on all those rangers that belonged to Vocal Adrenalin, because they thrashed our choir room and hurt the people you came to care about. I know you're the guy who was ready to beat the crap out of all of them when they egged Rachael out in the parking lot. I know you're the guy who would have done anything to help the mother of your baby girl. Including stealing from the bake sale to help Quinn for all her medical bills."

"How'd you find out about that?" Puck demanded clearly shocked that Kurt knew what he had tried to do.

"When Quinn moved in with Mercedes the three of us started to hang out together. One time during movie night she got all hormonal after watching Titanic with us and started crying and she started rambling, which ended up with her telling us about everything you tried to do for her, and how you wanted to keep the baby" Kurt answered. "So despite everything I know you well enough to say, that beneath all the badassness and stupid stunts you've pulled, there's a really good guy standing there. What I don't understand Noah Puckerman, is why that guy is behind a pane of glass in this place instead of someplace else. Why did you drive your mother's car into store and take off with the ATM?"

Puck looked away, not wanting to meet Kurt's eyes.

"We don't have much time Puck, and depending on what happens right now and what you decided, you might never see me or anyone you care about for a very long time. So talk to me already."

"After . . . everything with Quinn, and her giving Beth away, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I don't know where she is or who even adopted her. For all I know she could be in some terrible place and never find her way out. After everything I tried to do for Quinn she still didn't believe I would be a good dad. I told her my dad being a deadbeat didn't mean I would roll that way. It wouldn't have been picture perfect family, but I would have taken care of them. So after my mom started in on me again about what had happened I just snapped. I stormed off, took her car and the rest is history."

Kurt quietly absorbed everything Puck said, letting the wheels turn in his head.

"I can't even imagine what you're feeling or going through Puck, but I do know you can't go on like this. If by some miracle your daughter ever showed up back in your life, do you really think she'd be proud to see you here, like this?"

"Look Hummel, it's too late to do anything now anyway-"

"But, what if it wasn't? What if… what if I could give you a 2nd chance? A chance to get out of here and maybe build a life for yourself. One where you don't end up in juvvie until you're 21 and forced to work at Target afterwards for less than minimum wage until you finally snap again and do something even worse and end up spending the most of your adult life behind bars, or stuck here in Lima until the day you die."

"I'd say your full of it Hummel! How the hell could you help me?"

"Last night I called Finn and asked him if he had heard from you. After some yelling I got him to give me your home number and talked to your mom. I know she won't pay for your bail and I know she kicked you out of the house. She told me when you're hearing is going to be, and I know you don't have anyone helping you legally either. I got enough cash to pay your bail and get you out right now. This morning I talked to my dad and he agreed to let you come live with us. So if you want, we can walk out of here and you can start to finally put your life together."

"Dude, even if you bailed me out I'll still be back here after my hearing."

"No you won't because, I kind of arranged for a lawyer for you" Kurt answered with a shrug.

"How? No offence dude but I seriously doubt your dad is nice enough to dish out the money for a lawyer for someone he doesn't even know."

"I didn't say my dad was paying for a lawyer, what I said was that I arranged for you to have help in the legal department" Kurt explained

"How?" Puck pressed.

"Well. . ."

_~FLASHBACK~_

Kurt walked into the girls' bathroom right after he rounded the corner in the hallway. He went to the sink and splashed some water on his face, grateful he hadn't worn makeup today since he didn't have to bother with putting any back on. His back hurt like hell and just as he was about to pull his shirt off to assess the damage he heard the toilet in the stall behind him flush. From the stall emerged Rachael, who for a moment looked surprise to see Kurt. But by now everyone knew that Kurt often used the girls' bathroom instead of the guys to avoid the football players so it wasn't a big deal.

"Hi Kurt" she smiled and walked over to the sink next to his to begin washing her hands.

"Good morning Rachael." Kurt said as he began to wash his hands also. "You look really happy this morning, almost radiant I would say."

"Thank you Kurt!" she answered with huge smile.

"I must say you are in a better mood than I would be in after what happened" Kurt said simply with a shrug.

"What do mean? What happened?"

"Well Puck of course. I mean now that he's locked up and most likely not going to come back, New Directions have taken a serious hit in our stage power. Sam is nice and all but he just doesn't have Puck's bad boy stage image, let alone his experience. He's like that adorable boy next door, and Finn already has that down pat. Let's face it; he definitely added something to our group that even Finn can't match. Now with out that behind you to support you on stage and make you shine like the star you were meant to be you'll have to work that much harder to sing your heart out on stage with even less ammo than before. We have less of a chance of winning sectionals now; never mind about even taking on Vocal Adrenalin. And if we can't even get that far, what do you think all those performing art colleges are going to say when you apply with no victory to back up your claims of how good you are. From there it's all down hill, you could just forget about ever appearing on Broadway in NYC. The closest you'll ever get to a Broadway stage is probably as an usher." Kurt explained, laying it on as thick possible as he continued to just stare into his reflection making a show of adoring his face. "If I were you I'd be falling apart right now crying on the floor of my room, saying goodbye to all my dreams. I guess that's why it's such a great thing we made you made our captain. You're so strong Rachel" Kurt finished as he finally turned to face her.

Rachael looked as pale as a ghost and looked like she was going into a panic attack.

"Oh my good, Kurt right! We need Puck back before its too late!" she screeched, making Kurt wince.

"But, Rachael there is nothing we can do. This isn't like with us helping Artie before. Puck is going to need some serious legal help and I seriously doubt a bake sale is going help us afford the kind of lawyer Puck is going to need right now."

"Wait that's it! We don't need to any of that since my two gay dads already have an amazing lawyer always on call. He'd be happy to help Puck pro bono with all the work my dads have given over the years!" Rachael exclaimed and pulled out her cell, quickly looking through her contacts for the lawyer's number.

Kurt merely turned and walked out of the girls' room suppressing the self satisfaction he had felt as he accomplished his mission.

_~END FLASHBACK~_

"So basically you're saying you played her."

"Well, I remembered she mentioned a couple of times about her gay dads amazing lawyer. I figured she owed us after that stuffed she pulled with Sunshine. And I wasn't lying when I said we needed you. After all the crap I pulled last year with all the lies and manipulation I used to try and get Finn to like me, it was merely a matter of embracing that side of myself again to get what you needed from Rachael. I spent enough time with her to know how to manipulate her so it was simple in the end."

"That's pretty badass of you Hummel" Puck laughed. "But, why are you doing all of this? After, everything I've done to you, why are you doing all of this for me?"

"Because Pu… because Noah, like I said before, I've seen enough of the real you to know you're a good guy and you deserve a 2nd chance. And I hate to burst your bubble but there are going to be strings attached."

"Like. . ."

"Like for instance, you never tell my dad I used my money to bail you out. I didn't tell him you're still locked up. I just told him you're mom kicked you out and that you have no place to go."

"Alright, I can do that" Puck agreed.

"Furthermore, since your going to be living at our house, whatever my dad says goes. You do whatever he says and you follow what ever rules you he puts down for you. He already knows you were the one to nail our lawn furniture to the roof, so it will definitely do you good to stay on his good side. Beyond that we can just take things one day at a time and learn as we go."

Puck stayed silent for a minute weighting everything in his mind.

"Ok" he said simply.

"Alright, then hang tight and I'll bail you out."

An hour and a half later Noah Puckerman walked out of his incarceration with Kurt Hummel by his side. If anyone had told him twenty four hours ago that this would happen he'd tell them they were sniffing too many chemicals. They got into Kurt's car and for the first time Puck saw how much pain Kurt seemed to be in as he heard Kurt inhale sharply when he sat in the car seat.

"What's wrong dude?"

"Nothing, I just hurt my back this morning. I'll be fine" Kurt answered as he took a few more pain relievers. "Alright, we have to get you your stuff from your mothers place. But, before we do I gotta make a stop first."

"Where are we going?" Puck asked.

"Well, just like you have to fix your mistakes, I have to fix mine." Kurt replied cryptically.

Kurt said nothing else and started the ignition. After about five minutes silence Puck turned on the radio. The music filled the car and quickly erased the uncomfortable silence. As the music played both of them tried to wrap their minds around what had just happened and both knew things wouldn't be the same between them ever again, for better or worse.

"Wait, what are we doing here Hummel?" Puck asked as Kurt pulled up outside Finn Hudson's house.

"Kurt."

"What?"

"Call me Kurt. If you're going to be living with me and my dad from now on you should at least be able to call me by my first name."

Ok. . . Kurt" Puck said awkwardly, testing out the name as it came out of his mouth. "So what are we doing here?"

"Fixing a huge mistake I made" Kurt said. "Come on…"

Kurt got out of the car and saw Puck do the same. Steeling himself with a deep breath he rang the doorbell. The door soon opened as Finn's mother opened the door.

"Kurt?"

"Hello Carole, I hope this isn't a bad time since I know I'm dropping by unannounced."

"It's fine honey, but Finn isn't here right now."

"That's good then because I didn't really come here for Finn. I actually came by to talk you in fact."

"Is everything alright, is something wrong with your father?" she asked worry, creeping into her voice.

"Yeah he's doing fine. He's just grumpy now that I've got him eating something than slim jims for breakfast" Kurt answered with a roll of his eyes. "May we come in?"

At the word 'we' Carole finally noticed Puck standing behind Kurt.

"Of course you can," Carole said as she stepped a side and gestured them over to the living room.

"Would you boys like some iced tea?"

"That would be lovely, thank you" Kurt said.

"Sure thanks" Puck nodded.

She motioned for them to sit down on the couch and went to the kitchen, quickly coming back with glasses of iced tea. They both thanked her again and both drank some.

"Carole, first of all I just wanted to thank you for being there for both me and my dad while he was in the hospital. I know for a fact it meant a lot to my dad, and it meant a lot to me, even . . . even if I was too angry to say it at the time."

"Oh honey I understand. I know how much you love your father. It's obvious to anyone how much you adore him."

"Yeah, but I was being very unfair to you, and . . ."

Kurt felt like his throat had been covered in sad and couldn't speak anymore. But then he felt Puck put a comforting hand on his shoulder, much to his pleasant surprise. He looked over Puck gave him an encouraging nod.

"I wanted to apologize for my appalling behavior last year with Finn. It was stupid, childish, and completely inappropriate. But, I want you to know that I no longer have any attraction towards your son. So whenever you decide your ready you can come back and live with us. I promise I won't cause anymore trouble for you."

"Kurt it's ok, I know how difficult it must be for you at your age to control your feelings. And Finn just wasn't ready to accept living in a new house yet." Carole answered in understanding.

"Yeah, but I didn't make the transition any easier for both of you, and I'm sorry. You have my word, I won't bother Finn anymore. Even though my dad never says it, I can tell he really misses you. So, whenever you think your ready to come back just let me know and I'll be happy to roll out the red carpet for you."

"That's very nice of you Kurt" Carole said with a big smile.

Kurt knew his father loved Carole very much and she made him very happy, which is something he knew he deserved to have.

"In the mean time, would you like to come over for dinner Friday night? I can whip up a nice family dinner for the five of us."

"Five of us?" Carole asked.

"Noah is going to be living with me and dad for an indeterminate amount of time."

"What happened?" Carole asked, looking at Puck for an answer.

"It's a long story. . . and we should really get going since I need to make sure dad doesn't try to order any take out while I'm gone."

"Ok honey; just call me if you need anything alright?"

"No problem" Kurt answered as she gave him a hug.

It took all of Kurt's experience not to react to the pain that shot through him as she did so. With that they left and drove to Puck's house. Puck almost asked him what that was all about but one look from the soprano quickly stopped him trying. Kurt didn't want to answer any questions right now and Puck decided to respect his privacy. Everyone knew last year about Kurt's big crush on Finn but by the sound of it things had gotten more intense than either had let on. The only time they spoke to each other was when Kurt asked how to get to Puck's house, since he had never been there before.

"Wait here" Puck said as they both got out of the car finally.

Kurt just nodded and stood by the car as Puck walked up to the door and went inside. After about five minutes some yelling was heard but it was too muffled to hear exactly what was being said. After another ten minutes or so Puck appeared at the front door and motioned for him to come in.

"We can get my stuff now" Puck stated simply.

Kurt didn't want to pry so he merely nodded and followed Puck. The house definitely needed a good house keeper by the looks of it as nothing seemed to have been cleaned in a while. It wasn't a pigsty, but it could have used a lot of vacuuming and dusting and, and the couch looked like it was stolen from the city dump. Kurt spotted a woman and a little girl in the kitchen along with a woman that Kurt assumed must have been Puck's mother. She had short salt and pepper hair and looked exhausted. The little girl had black hair and looked up as they passed by looking very sad.

Puck's room didn't look any better then the rest of the house as there were dirty clothes thrown all over the place along with discarded wrappers for food like chips and candy along with soda bottles hiding the floor beneath them.

"Puck, I hope you're not expecting to live like this considering you and I are going to be sharing a room for the time being."

"There's nothing wrong with my room, it just looks lived in" Puck said with a smirk.

"Puck, you are not going to turn our room into a trash heap" Kurt said seriously making Puck laugh.

Kurt rolled his eyes and asked him where he wanted to start. Puck went to the closet and pulled out two large duffle bags. They began putting in all of his clothes in them. When they were too full to fit in anymore Noah left the room to get some garbage bags to put in the dirty clothes thrown across the floor. Kurt had refused to touch Pick's dirty underwear which once again made Noah laugh, so he gave Kurt his book bag and told him he could pack up his X-Box 360 and games. Kurt began to do so and in a moment Noah came back and began to pick up the last of the clothes on the floor.

"I don't want you to go Noah" a little voice spoke suddenly from the doorway.

They both turned to see the little girl standing behind them.

"I can't stay here anymore Sarah, mommy's really mad at me right now and she won't let me stay here anymore."

"But I'll miss you Noah" she began to cry.

Noah picked her up and held her close as she sobbed.

"Don't cry Sarah, it's gonna be ok. When mommy's not mad at me anymore I'll be back."

"But who's gonna take care of you Noah?" she said looking up into her brother's eyes.

"I will" Kurt said suddenly, making the little girl look at him for the first time.

Kurt walked over to the pair and looked Sarah right in the eyes, noticing she and her brother had the exact same warm chocolate eyes.

"I'm going to take care of Noah for now. And I promise I'll keep him safe for you. And until he can back home, after a little while I'll ask your mommy if you can come and visit Noah at my house. When your mommy's not mad anymore I promise you, I'll bring him right back home to you, ok?"

Sarah watched him for a while before she finally spoke.

"You promise?" she sniffled.

"I promise sweetie" Kurt reaffirmed.

Sarah reached over to Kurt, allowing the girl to grab a hold of him with her small hands and give him a kiss on the cheek. Kurt held her for a moment before the pain in his back forced him to put her down.

"Why don't you help your brother pick up his stuff, while I take care of the rest this?" Kurt asked receiving a small nod.

The three of them finished up and Kurt and Noah began to leave.

"I love you Noah" Sarah said.

"I love you too sis" Noah said as he gave her kiss and ruffled her hair, making the girl giggle.

As Kurt was about to step out of the room he felt her grab his pant leg.

"Remember you promised" she said simply, looking Kurt right in the eye.

"Don't worry Sarah, I wont ever forget" Kurt reassured.

With that she turned and went back to the kitchen with her mother.

"My sister really likes you Kurt" Noah said as he watched their interaction.

"What makes you say that?"

"I've never seen her that way with strangers before" Noah explained.

Kurt just nodded and with that they were off once again. Noah piled everything into his truck and Kurt told him to just follow behind him. In what felt like no time they had arrived at the Hummel residence. Kurt parked his car in the driveway and Noah parked his just behind Kurt's. Kurt took the two duffle bags and Noah took the rest. As soon as they walked through the door, Kurt saw his dad sitting on the couch watching his favorite show. He looked up when he heard the front door open to see his son walk in with Noah.

"Hey dad" Kurt said as he ushered Noah through the front door. "Dad this is Noah, Noah this is my father Burt Hummel."

Noah extended his hand out and shook Mr. Hummel's hand not saying anything. Even in a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe Burt Hummel was a very intimidating man, and the fact that he was obviously looking at Noah's black eye wasn't very encouraging.

"You're the one who vandalized my house" Burt said simply fixing Noah with cold stare, not letting go of his hand.

"Dad! Don't start!" Kurt said firmly, completely un-intimidated by his own father. "And it I told you before, he didn't do it alone. Finn helped him do it along with a bunch of the football team" he fished with his hands on his hips, looking very much like a chastising mother.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hummel," Noah said quickly not wanting to Kurt fight his father on his behalf. "What I did was wrong, and I apologize" surprising himself as he felt his own sincerity in the statement.

"Your apology's accepted" Mr. Hummel said after another moment of silence and let Noah's hand go.

"Thank you sir, and thank you for letting me stay here" Noah said, glad to have his hand back.

"You're welcome." Burt answered. "Well I'm gonna go watch the game."

"Noah, why don't you watch some TV with dad while I get dinner started. We can take your stuff to our room and take care of it afterwards."

"Uh, sure" Noah replied, looking at Kurt like he just gave him a death sentence.

"Come on" Kurt smirked and picked up the duffle bag.

Noah followed Kurt passed the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement.

"This is your room?" Noah asked as he took the place in.

"You were expecting something super queer?"

"Uh . . . yeah" Noah answered. "After that whole thing with Finn, I figured…" Noah trailed off.

"After dad kicked him out I redid it again, putting it back to the way it was before with a few more additions. Its simple yet sheik and the color compliments my natural skin tone very well."

Noah just gave the soprano a look that almost made him laugh. Kurt showed him around the room. Noah looked around and saw that the room was completely done in white. Being a basement the room was very spacious with plenty of open room to move about in. There was a queen size bed with a white comforter and large pillows, looking like an extremely comfortable white fluffy cloud with a semicircular headboard. Next to it on each side were night stands that matched it perfectly. On the other wall was a large vanity table filled all around it with dozens of cosmetics, creams, and lotions with a large round mirror attached. Next to it was a large dresser for clothing that also matched the rest of the décor. Facing the opposite wall, where the stairs were, lay the one of the only things in the room that wasn't white. It was a large black leather couch with adjustable seats facing the wall. Up against the wall was a large stereo system, one of those high tech ones that also had a jack to plug your own mp3 into it, and a small black mini fridge stocked up with water, some juices, and healthy snacks next to it.

"Dude!" Noah exclaimed.

Mounted on the wall was a large 55' screen HD TV. His father had bought a new 66' HD for the living room and gave the other one to Kurt. The TV was already hooked up to Kurt's video camera which he used to tape himself for his audition pieces he was planning to send to NYC. But what really got Noah's attention was the PS3 that was hooked up to it and the large black cabinet that held a large selection of blu-rays, DVDs, and even box sets of TV shows. What was even more surprising was that most of the collection while containing the very gay romance, drama, and musicals, he expected there was also a large selection of other movies. Even more of a shock was that there was an entire row dedicated exclusively to old fashion kung fu movies. Noah asked about them and Kurt merely shrugged and said he always loved to watch kung fu movies when he was very little because he originally thought they were dancing. Also the fact that his dad and he used to watch them all the time together. Then in the corner of the room were several book shelves filled with books ranging from girly romance novels to recipe books. Also there were books like the art of war, and poetry and literature.

On the far side of the room were two doors. One led to a bathroom that made the jocks jaw drop. The room was also done in white and was very large. There was a large sink that had some of Kurt's toiletries also with a large steam proof mirror that took up almost the entire wall. On the left there was a large shower stall. It was big enough to fit four people in it comfortably, with multiple messaging shower heads. On the right was large bathtub/Jacuzzi that once again was big enough for several people. Noah almost asked how Kurt and his dad could afford all of this but decided it would be rude, plus he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. After that the other door in Kurt's or rather now 'their' room, led to a very large but simple walk in closet. Although to Noah it looked more like a costume shop, as all the bright and colorful and blatantly gay clothing seemed to stand out at him like they were alive.

Kurt told Noah to just leave his bags in the closet and that they would move things around to make room for his things. Noah agreed and they both went back upstairs. Kurt took Noah over to the couch and asked them if they would like something to drink, and then came back with a bottle of water for each them. He then left them to watch the game with Noah throwing him a look that clearly said 'help'. Kurt just smirked and walked into the kitchen, knowing his dad wouldn't hurt his friend.

"_Friend. . ." Kurt said to himself in his mind, actually liking the way it sounded._

Kurt then turned his attention back to making dinner for the men of the house. Grateful for knowing several recipes by heart already to make a dinner that would satisfy both his fathers need for healthy food at the moment, and Noah's Jewish dietary preferences since he didn't know if his friend was kosher or not. Going with a simple eggplant stuffed Portobello mushroom recipe he knew, Kurt quickly diced a white onion and got out the olive oil, moving with the proficiency of someone who had been cooking for years. In no time at all he called out that dinner was ready and began setting the table for three. Normally he would have served the food out in the living room to his dad since his coma, but he wanted to make Noah's first dinner here as nice as possible.

Burt sat himself at the head of the table with Kurt on his right and Noah on his left. Kurt smiled as he saw Noah was still uncomfortable around his dad when he served them both. Wanting to get them to open up to each other, Kurt asked Noah what he though of the new football coach. Working like a charm the table was soon filled with light banter, and with his previous study into the game he had done when he became kicker he was able to throw himself into the conversation here and there. As he watched his father interact with the halfback he noticed he didn't feel the slightest tinge of jealousy this time around, unlike the times his father and Finn had interacted. As he served himself a second helping he looked back from the counter and saw Noah smile as he was explaining how he tackled the opposing quarterback just in time to stop him from scoring. The sight of two together seemed right somehow and he realized in that moment that he had made the right decision in saving one Noah Puckerman.

When they all ate their fill Kurt took Noah, down stairs to clear some space for Noah's things in the closet. Moving everything over on the left side of the closet to make sure he had enough space, Kurt told Noah he could start to put his things away while he went and did the dishes. Noah nodded and began to sort through his things, already knowing the soprano would make a fuss if he didn't put away everything in an exact order.

-next scene-

Kurt was right in the middle of doing the dishes when his father came into the kitchen.

"Son can we talk for a sec" Burt asked in a serious tone.

"What's wrong dad?" Kurt asked, already sensing he wasn't going to be pleasant.

"I know we talked about this before this morning, but are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Dad, I know. . . I know it doesn't seem like it but, I know were doing the right thing."

"He seems like a good kid Kurt, and I don't mean to sound cold hearted, but do you really think he's going to magically change just cause you say you believe in him?"

"Dad, you don't understand, that's not it at all. I don't expect him to just magically transform over night, but I know that with time he can because I've seen it for myself. After he joined glee, he really did start to change and grow into a better person. He stopped bullying me and started to try and clean up the messes he made. And he would go out of his way to defend our other friends in glee club sometimes."

"Kurt, that's great but none of that changes the fact that he was just arrested!"

"Dad, listen to me, ok?" Kurt implored and continued as his father nodded. "I know why Noah did, what he did. I'm not going to break his confidence in me by telling you, and while I will admit, his reasons do not excuse what he did, I can understand _why_ he did what he did. Everyone has a breaking point dad, even you and me."

"I know that Kurt, but I still don't see how that makes it ok" Burt pressed.

"Dad, let me try to explain it to you like this. What if . . . instead of you being in a coma a few weeks ago, I was the one in a coma. And what if . . . instead of getting better you had to watch me die?"

Kurt watched as the emotions played out on his father's face, while he tried to think of an answer.

"Kurt. . . I . . . I don't know what I would do if I lost you" his father said finally.

"Dad, after mom died, the both of us were devastated, but in the end we still had each other. And now Noah is going through his own pain, but unlike me, Noah doesn't have a father to hold his hand and tell him things will be ok. Because I know . . . that if you had died that day in the hospital instead holding my hand, I probably would have killed myself soon after" Kurt said, finally admitting to what he had contemplated in his darkest hour and began to break down in tears.

Burt Hummel quickly embraced his soon tightly in his arms, never wanting to let him go. He couldn't believe what his son admitted to him. Kurt was always so strong and stable, always so unshakeable, confident and level headed, that the very idea of his son contemplating such a thing was completely unthinkable. Kurt was trying to stop himself from crying and quickly regained some composure, but the tears still kept falling from his.

"I know it was wrong dad, but I didn't care. I just wanted to lash out in anyway I could. I pushed away all my friends and Carol, and I just felt so hopeless and lost. And I just wanted to crawl into some dark place and just disappear."

"You stop that right now!" Burt said and held his sons face with both hands. "Kurt Albert Hummel, you are never, ever to even think of harming yourself do you understand me!" Burt spoke firmly to his son. "You are my son, the very reason I live for and I am never ever going to let you go do you hear me?"

Kurt nodded and his father held his sons' smaller frame to his own, kissing the top of his head, and ignoring his tears. Neither spoke for a long time and simply took comfort in each others arms.

"But, dad . . . do you understand? Right now Noah is in the same place I was; only no one is holding his hand. Mom always kept telling me to follow my heart dad, and now everything in me right now is telling me that I have to be the one to hold his hand, just like you did for me. Because when I realized what was going to happen to Noah, I knew I could never forgive myself if I just let it happen. I know it's a lot to ask of you dad, to believe in him from just the few bits and pieces you've seen of him. But if you can't believe in him dad, try to believe in me" Kurt said as he wiped his face with his hands and breathed out deeply.

"I do believe in you son, and if this truly what you feel, I'll give Noah a chance. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know dad, but it's a chance I just have to take" Kurt reaffirmed.

Burt looked like he was about to say something else but was cut off as the doorbell rang. Kurt let his father answer the door and tried to clean himself up and recollect himself.

"Kurt it's for you!" he heard his father call out.

Wondering who it could be he quickly washed his face and dried himself off. He went to the door where his father was still standing and saw none other than Quinn and Sam standing on his porch.

"Quinn, Sam? What's going on?" he asked.

"Hey Kurt" Sam smiled although looking a little awkward.

"I know it's rude to just show up unannounced like this but, we just wanted to talk you, about . . . well everything I guess" Quinn explained.

"Yeah, I sure . . . why don't you guys come in. Dad you remember my friend Quinn, and this is the new member of our glee club Sam."

"What happened there?" Burt asked as he shook Sam's hand, indication his badly split lip.

"Oh this . . . football practice got kinda intense today" Sam explained quickly as Kurt sent him a look of thanks for not telling his dad what happened.

"What position do you play?"

"Quarterback."

"I thought Finn was the quarterback?"

"Well I _was_ the quarterback, but in our last game I got hurt and Finn took my spot. But I should be ok for the next game so I might be the quarterback again depending on what the coach decides" Sam explained.

"Well good luck then, I know how tough the game can be."

"Thanks Mr. Hummel" Sam smiled.

"Uh dad, we'll be downstairs if you need anything ok?" Kurt said, wanting to limit this conversation as much as possible.

"No problem son" he said, knowing his son wanted his privacy.

-next scene-

Noah was sorting his clothes out and grabbing some empty hangers to put things up. He still couldn't believe the events that had happened today. He woke up this morning in a cell block, trying not to gag at the smell coming from the over flowing toilet that was placed right by his bed, and now he had somehow ended up living with Kurt Hummel of all people. Even when they were at their closest Finn would never have done anything remotely like this for him. When he was talking to Kurt in the visitors' area he truly wondered why on earth he was there. He had always tormented Kurt; he was always an easy target. Even before high school he had never really let up on the guy and here he was, living with _him_ of all people. Life it seemed just wasn't without a sick sense of irony.

Looking at his clothes he realized he had just enough clean clothes to last him about a week. He really needed to do laundry and sort out the rest of his stuff. He pulled out his shoes from the garbage bag and looked for a place to put them. He really only had three different pairs of shoes. Two sets of sneakers, one of which he was wearing now and a pair of boots he used for the winter months. Looking around he decided to just push a large chest on the shelf above to the side to put his shoes on. But the chest was a lot closer to the edge than he realized which caused it to fall right on his head when he tried to move it aside. It bounced off his skull with a loud thump and then clattered open as it hit the floor.

Rubbing his head at the point of impact he looked down at the chest and saw a few tiaras had fallen out of the chest. Rolling his eyes at the sight he bent down to pick everything up and put it back in the chest. However when he put the box right side up the rest of the contents spilled out as well. A bunch of other tiaras went rolling across the floor, making the half back curse in frustration. He began to pick everything up and toss it back into the chest when he spotted something on the floor that wasn't a tiara. Picking it up in his hands he saw it was one of Japanese weapons he had seen in cartoons and movies. Looking down he spotted another one nearby and picked it up also.

This was definitely not what he expected to find locked in a chest in Kurt's room. He would have expected something more along the lines of a whole bunch of pink colored gay sex toys and gay porn videos. Noah was brought out of his musing by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs only to see Kurt standing at the bottom of the stairs with his arms folded across his chest and Quinn and that guy Sam standing next to her holding hand. Quinn looked shocked to see Noah Puckerman of all people in Kurt's basement, especially after Mr. Shue telling them all he was locked up in juvvie. Sam looked more worried than shocked, but then again that was understandable, considering that he was now dating Quinn, who had been the mother of Puck's child the year before. Plus it didn't really help that Puck was holding a set of deadly weapons in his hands.

"Puck what are you doing looking though my stuff?" Kurt asked with annoyance.

"Relax Kurt; I wasn't pawing through your stuff. That chest fell over while I was trying to put my stuff away and all your stuff fell out."

"Just give me those before you hurt yourself. Those are dangerous and very sharp." Kurt said as he walked forward and took them from the half back.

"What are those?" Quinn asked as she finally found her voice again.

"Their Japanese sai swords" Kurt answered.

"That's cool. I didn't know you knew how to use those" Sam said, grateful Kurt was now holding them instead of Puck.

"Well I can't use them, not really. I just know how to do a few moves with them is all" Kurt said and twirled them in his hands a bit.

"Wow" Sam said simply still amazed.

Kurt put the sai away and turned back to his friends who were standing awkwardly in the middle of his room.

"Puck, what are you doing here?" Quinn finally asked.

"Quinn, to make a long story short, hell has frozen over and Noah lives here now" answered Kurt, not really wanting to go into the whole story at the moment.

"What?" Quinn asked, clearly not understanding what was going on.

"I'll explain everything some other time," Kurt said leaving no room for argument.

Another moment a silence passed with everyone just looking at one another.

"Uh, Quinn, you said you wanted to talk" Kurt reminded, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Sam and I wanted to see if you were ok after everything that happened today at school today."

"What happened?" Noah asked, feeling totally out of the loop, he had clearly missed stuff in the few days he had been locked up.

"I got in a fight with Karofsky and Azimio today" Kurt declared shortly.

"What happened?" Noah asked, clearly wanting the whole story.

"Karofsky and Azimio were about to slushy Artie in the hallway this morning. I spotted them heading for him so I ran up and grabbed the slushy out of Karofsky's hand and threw it right back in his face."

Noah laughed at the picture of someone finally giving the jerk a taste of his own medicine, and that the person was actually Kurt made it all the funnier.

"Yeah, it was funny but only for about 30 seconds. After that they tried to beat the crap out of me in front of everyone in the hallway. Thankfully Sam came to the rescue before they could do much damage and tackled Karofsky to the ground and punched him I the face. Hence the split lip" Kurt stated gesturing to Sam's face. "Before things went anything further Ms. Sylvester broke up the fight."

"I wished I could have been there to see it. I would have loved an excuse to wail on those two" Noah said punching his fist hard into his own palm.

"You should have seen Kurt" Sam said. "Quinn and I only just got there when Karofsky tackled Kurt into the locker and started wailing on him. But from what Artie says you danced around them like a ninja. At first I thought he was just exaggerating but it would explain the swords though."

Kurt just shook his head and suppressed a blush at the statement.

"Is that what happened to your back?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine" Kurt just shrugged.

"Then why are you still flinching every time you move your back or sit down? You could barely sit still during dinner and when Carol hugged you, you looked like you want to scream, even after you took a bunch pain pills?" Noah asked with a smirk.

"I'll be fine," Kurt insisted. "As soon as I can I'll see what my back looks like and take care of it.

"Kurt you mean you haven't even let any check you out yet to see if you're ok?" Quinn reprimanded.

"I haven't had the chance to alright! I was going to do it at lunch time but that obviously didn't work thanks to Finn!"

"Speaking of which, what the hell did Finn do to get you so mad? That whole thing in the cafeteria is all over school now and with what you did today in glee, it must have been bad."

"Wait a sec, exactly how much did I miss out on while I was gone?"

Sam was only too happy to fill Noah in on everything that had happened. By the time he finished explaining what happened in the lunchroom, Noah was in stitches, unable to hold in his laughter at his former best friend.

"Look, I just want to forget about it!" Kurt said getting angry again at today's events.

"Um… Kurt, that's not going to happen any time since . . . the whole thing, it was posted on youtube by that creepy school newspaper guy" Quinn confessed.

Kurt just shook his head, not wanting to believe it! Noah of course immediately asked if Kurt had a computer so he could log into his account and watch it.

"This isn't funny Noah! The last thing I need right now is an embarrassing video of me up on the internet!"

"Kurt relax, you're over reacting. The only one that's gonna be embarrassed is Finn." Noah replied.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but Puck's right" Quinn said. "So far no one has said anything bad about you. Their pretty much concentrating only on what you said and not the fact that you were the one that said it. Finn is pretty much the schools laughing stock right now. All the girls have given him the nick name Mr. Limpdick, and you have pretty much become Santana's personal hero since you pretty much increased her rep points with everything you said since no one believed her when she claimed to have taken Finns virginity last year."

"Somehow that still doesn't make me feel any better" Kurt said.

"So what did he say to get you so mad that you totally lost it?" Noah asked.

"It doesn't matter" Kurt said, not wanting to go into it any further.

"Kurt… why didn't you want to do a duet with me?" Sam asked. "Was it because of Finn?"

"Sam, please just drop it, ok? It doesn't matter anymore."

"Finn came to me tried to talk me out of doing the duet with you. I told him you were a great singer and he said it wasn't about how good you were. He told me not do the duet with you because it was gonna paint a bull's eye on my chest and get me killed. I told him I never knew he had a problem with gay dudes and he said he didn't have a problem with gay dudes but everyone else did. How we were living in their world; and me singing a duet with you was a death sentence."

"That's horrible! I can't believe Finn would do that" Quinn gasped.

"That's seriously fucked up!" Noah actually yelled.

"Kurt, do you know what I told him?"

"Sam, please just let it go, its over and done with" Kurt said simply, want this not to go any further than he had let it get.

"I told Finn, that I gave you my word and that in my world, that was that. Kurt from what I've seen so far you're a really cool guy. You're funny, and you're a great singer. I loved that number you did for the duet challenge, it was amazing. You're brave and comfortable with yourself. And this morning you proved you would do anything to help your friends when you stopped Karofsky and Azimio from tormenting Artie. I'm not gay, but Kurt; and I know this sounds too hard to believe but I know exactly what you're going through. If I didn't I wouldn't be here in Ohio, Lima right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Kurt… I lot of bad stuff happened to me back home in Iowa, and it still hurts too much for me to even talk about it right now. But, I have absolutely no problem with you being gay. And no one is going to tell me who I can be friends with. Not Finn and definitely not a bunch of ignorant homophobes!"

"Sam, that's really nice of you but, I think you should think about this. Last year I had this stupid crush on Finn and I did a bunch of stupid stuff because of it. That's why he got on my case when I asked you to be my duet partner. He thought I was planning to try the same thing with you. He told me he didn't he didn't care that I was gay, but that I didn't understand that no meant no. I said I just wanted to sing with you, and then he said that I didn't really give a damn any of you if did. And that if I did sing with you, you would get so much crap you would quit the glee club in week."

"I can't believe Finn would do this" Quinn said. "Kurt you don't really believe that crap, do you?"

"Quinn, you and I both know what the students at school are like. Sam I let you go because I didn't want anything bad to happen to you. You saw yourself today what I have to put up with. And now that you defended me in public this morning you're going to have a tough time in school with those guys. Its going to get even worse if you're seen hanging out with me."

"I don't care Kurt. I know life is too short to give in no matter how easy it would be. And if you still want to, I would like to do that duet with you that we never got to do."

"If you're sure you want to Sam, then I'd love to" Kurt said finally, giving the blonde a smile.

"This is all cool and all, but you still never told us what Finn that set you off so bad today" Noah said to the soprano.

"He saw Sam calling me over to eat with him and Quinn at lunch today. When I was about to walk over he grabbed my arm and told me to stay away from Sam. Finn said I had already made things bad for him with the fight I started that morning and that I shouldn't make things worse. He said he knew it wasn't easy for me to get over him but that hitting on another straight guy wasn't going to do any good and that with Noah gone we couldn't afford to lose anymore members of the glee club. I got so angry that I finally snapped, and the rest as we say is history."

"Finn is really begging for an ass kicking!"

"No Noah! Don't hurt him ok? Finn is my problem and you can't afford to get into any trouble right now. You just got out of juvvie and Finn isn't worth you throwing your life away for. As long as Finn leaves me alone I got no problems with him. The last thing the glee club needs right now is more drama. And I still have got to get my dad and Finn's mom back together, and if I start something with him anymore than I already have, its gong to ruin any chance of my dad and carol hooking back up."

"Well, at least now we know why you sang that song in glee today. It was awesome man. I had no idea you could sing like that."

"What song did you sing?" Noah asked wanting to know what had happened.

"'Outside' by Staind. Finn was glaring at me and I just wanted to shut him up. Plus the song reminds me of Finn and everything that happened between us."

"Damn Kurt, you don't pull any punches, do you?" Noah laughed. "That's definitely badass of you. I wish that was put up on youtube so I could watch it too. What did Finn do afterwards?"

"I don't know, I just stormed out afterwards and didn't look back."

"Well Artie tried to stop you but you just kept walking. Mr. Shue asked us what was wrong with you but no one said anything since you wouldn't talk to any of us. Rachael asked Finn what happened between the two of you and Finn said he had no idea why you were acting so crazy."

"Let's just forget about all of this already. Today has been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotion for me and I just want to try and relax."

"No prob" Noah said and Sam nodded in agreement.

"That's fine Kurt, we should really have a look at you and see how badly your hurt" Quinn said.

"I'll be fine Quinn, thanks."

"Kurt you're not fine. I've been with you since you sprung me this afternoon, and you can't even lift your arms past a certain point. Let us help already, besides I seriously owe you for everything" Noah said.

"Noah, first and foremost I didn't help you so you would owe me anything. Secondly I'm not an invalid, I can't take care of myself" Kurt insisted.

"Kurt, you don't have to put up some brave front for us. Even I can see how stiff your back is and how much pain you're in. Were your friends and we just want to help you, so let us already" Sam spoke imploringly.

"Alright fine!" Kurt snapped, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. "Just… help me take off my shirt; I should be able to handle the rest."

Quinn stepped forward and Kurt took of the white dress shirt, folding it carefully and putting it on the bed. Then Quinn helped peel off the t-shirt that had become like a second skin on Kurt's body. It was painfully agonizing as his muscles just didn't want to cooperate. It looked like he needed the help after all.

"Oh my god Kurt!" Quinn yelled as she saw the damage her friend was sporting on his body.

The fall had definitely done a number on his as the upper half of his back was nothing but one giant black and blue bruise, stretching across his shoulder blades and down to the middle of his back. On his lower back and on the sides were smaller bruises from where he was punch by Karofsky after being slammed into the locker.

"Kurt, you should see a doctor!" Quinn said.

"I don't need a doctor Quinn, there just bruises. Noah, in the closet on my side, in the back corner there's another mini fridge hidden behind a bunch of shoe boxes. Inside there are a bunch of cold pads bring them to me please" Kurt instructed.

Noah nodded and went into the closet to get the items he was asked to get. Kurt walked into the bathroom and went under the sink and pulled out a large first aid kit. Opening it he removed a large jar with cream inside and began applying it to the bruises he could reach on his torso.

"Alright I got the cold packs, although I never you were a tequila type of guy" Noah said as he walked into the bathroom.

"Huh?" Sam said.

"Behind the packs was a big bottle of tequila" Noah explained.

"After April Rhodes introduced me to alcohol I developed a taste for it, although I never took it as far as I did in the beginning. Getting so wasted I'd vomit all over is not my idea of fun" Kurt clarified. "And I trust you will not say of word about it to my father" Kurt gave Noah a look.

"Trust me, your secret is safe. I'm always scoring alcohol with my fake ID."

"Thanks. Quinn, get the bottle that says iodine out of the kit please."

"What for? You're not bleeding anywhere."

"It's for your boyfriend. That lip looks pretty bad Sam, and by the looks of it you haven't done anything to disinfect it have you?" Kurt explained.

"I'll be fine" Sam said simply shaking of Kurt's concern.

"Quinn" Kurt said nodding over to the kit.

Getting his message, Quinn grabbed the bottle and some cotton balls from the kit and began to clean Sam's lip despite his protests.

"And Noah, here" Kurt said as he handed over one of the ice packs. "Put that on your eye. Keep it elevated and the swelling should go down by morning."

"Thanks Kurt" Noah said accepting the pack.

Kurt returned to the task of applying the cream but couldn't reach most of his back. Without warning the jar was taken out of his hands by Noah.

"Noah I need that" Kurt said simply as he tried to take it back.

"Turn around Kurt, I got this" Noah retorted keeping the jar out of reach.

With a deep sigh he did as he was told and Noah began to apply the cream all over the bruises on Kurt's body. Kurt had to fight the urge to cross his arms and try to hide his body. He had never let anyone see him even remotely undressed except in the locker room and even then he never got completely undressed; knowing what would happen from past experience. And now he was standing in front of Quinn, Sam and Noah of all people feeling completely exposed even though he was only shirtless. Not to mention that now Noah Puckerman himself was now rubbing his bruise cream all over his back and some other places that he was very sensitive in was definitely having a reaction on his body. Kurt had to use all his self control to not to blush, but he couldn't stop the reaction that was happening below the wait.

He'd be liar if he said Noah wasn't hot. The few glimpses he had seen of his body were a definite confirmation of that, but Noah was his friend, and he felt guilty at being so turned on by his touch. Thankfully he had decided to wear normal jeans today, as they could hide his reaction, if only just barely. Plus, Noah was to busy with his task to really notice the effect he was having on the soprano. When it was finally over Kurt got a roll of elastic bandages, from the kit and tried to tie the packs to his body only to have the halfback stop him once again and help out with the task. When they were done Kurt quietly thanked Noah, not looking at him directly, but he did see the smirk on Sam's face as he looked up, letting Kurt know that he knew what was happening. Thankfully Quinn was too busy cleaning Sam's lip to notice anything.

"Uh… why don't we just relax and watch a movie," Kurt said quickly.

"Sounds good to me" Noah said smiling.

"Same here" Sam agreed, still smiling at Kurt.

"Sure" Quinn said simply smile.

They went back out of the bathroom and sat themselves on the couch, while Kurt pulled on one of the large shirts he used to sleep in. They spent awhile discussing which movie they wanted to see until Kurt picked out Repo: The Genetic Opera, when he found out that none of them had ever seen it. Noah told him he didn't want to see it until Kurt told him it was a gothic rock opera that was made by the producers of the movie Saw. Kurt popped it into the PS3 and hit play. He then got them all snacks and they sat down quietly to enjoy the movie. Noah was surprised to find that the musical was very good. The music was cool and the story wasn't bad either. He noticed how Quinn leaned into Sam during the movie and how he put his arm around her. A stab of regret went through as he remembered everything he and the blonde went through the year.

When the movie was over, Sam and Quinn said they loved it and Noah agreed. They sat and talked for a while, with Sam asking Kurt about the duet and when they could work on it. Kurt told him he had agreed to help Brittany tomorrow night and said he could come then also. Finally it got late and Quinn and Sam said they had to go, Quinn gave him a light hug and kiss on the cheek and was surprised when Sam gave him a hug and a kiss also. It really was nice that Sam was so comfortable with him, unlike the other guys he knew. He walked them out and said good night, then returned to see Noah still sitting on the couch.

"You're gonna have to take the couch for now Noah. Finn took his bed with him when he left."

"That's fine; I've had worse, trust me."

"It's only Saturday. We can go to Ikea and buy a good bed for you."

"Kurt, you've already spent over $700 only me today, you don't have to go to al the trouble to spend more just for a bed. The couch is more than enough for me" Noah stated.

"It's not about the money Noah" Kurt said. "For as long as you're here, this is your home now" Kurt placed his hand on his friend shoulder.

Noah didn't know what to say. He just wasn't good with any of this emotion stuff. That's probably why he and Quinn just never worked. He couldn't give her what she wanted and because of it he lost his daughter. Not know what to say he just nodded and stayed quiet. Seeing Noah was uncomfortable Kurt simply stood up and went to the closet to give his friend time to collect himself. When he came back his arms were filled with several blankets and some of his spare pillows, wanting the jock to be as comfy as possible. Noah stood from the couch and let Kurt make it into a bed for him. However Kurt stopped yelped when he saw Noah starting to take off his clothes, quickly covering his eyes and turning his back.

"What are you doing!"

"I'm taking off my clothes, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"I'm standing right here!"

"So what? Were both guys" Noah said, not really understanding the problem.

"Just change in the bathroom while I set up the couch for you" Kurt said with his back still turned.

"I don't change into anything Kurt I always just sleep in my boxers. What the hell is wrong?"

"Nothing it's just. . . Finn always freaked out when I was around and he wasn't dressed. When we finally exploded he said he always had to put his underwear on in the shower whenever he knew I was around."

Noah just snorted at Finn's homophobia. He never had problem changing in front of Kurt when he was on the football and he sure as hell didn't have one now.

"Kurt look at me!"

Kurt slowly turned around and looked at Noah. Noah said nothing but started to take off his clothes in front of his new friend. By the time Noah was in nothing but his underwear Kurt was as red as a tomato.

"You can look all you want. Puckzilla was meant to be shared with the world!" Noah said smirking at Kurt's reaction, and began to flex his guns.

Instead of showing any further embarrassment Kurt took a pillow and smacked Noah right in the face with it.

"Save it for the world then Puckzilla!" Kurt sad cockily.

Noah quickly picked up another pillow and before they knew it the were having a pillow fight.

-next scene-

Artie was looking through the book he had found in hallway, amazed by what he was seeing. He knew it belonged to Kurt as it had his name on the front page, but what Artie couldn't understand was why Kurt never showed them what he had done. From the way everything was dated he had begun the book just some time after Puck, Mike, and Matt, joined the glee club. Inside each of the members had their own separate pages with life like sketches of each one of them. Each chapter had a detailed break down of all their supposed strengths and the weaknesses they each had and theories on how to improve on them. Then it got more complicated as each one of them was paired up in alternating duos for songs that would have been good matches for each their voices to do. And then it went on to trios and quartets. It had designs for costumes and break downs in dance moves for choreography. And then after all that there was a basic outline for a Halloween Rocky Horror variety show.

However when he reached the end of the book he saw a CD in a sleeve tucked into the book. He took out the CD and put it in his laptop expecting to hear a mix tape of some kind. What he found of course was far from what he had expected. When he pressed play a video began. It was Kurt dressed up along with Tina and Brittany doing the song 'Single Ladies'. He saw them dancing around and Kurt singing the song leading them along. It was actually pretty cool and Artie smiled while watching it. The next video however really confused him. Kurt was standing on the stage in the auditorium illuminated by a spotlight.

"This is for you dad" Kurt said simply and music began to play.

Recognizing the song immediately from the diva off last, Artie watched as Kurt began to sing 'Defying Gravity'. But what really got to Artie was how different Kurt sounded. When he sang the song for the group he couldn't hit all the notes and his voice kept cracking. While he did a decent job it was nowhere near as good as Rachael. Now not only was he doing everything perfectly but he totally owned the song. Both with his voice and the quiet but immensely intense theatricality he displayed with his eyes as they stared off, as if he was looking at someone beyond the spotlight. The video hit an intense conclusion as he hit the high F note, hitting it perfectly. As the song ended the spotlight disappeared leaving Kurt's outline barely visible to the camera.

Artie watched each video, and saw Kurt singing and even dancing in a few. All in different styles and sometimes accompanied by girls he knew where from the cheerios. Some of the videos were obviously shot at home but the rest were shot in the school auditorium. Why would Kurt hide this? If he had shared this with the rest of the glee club, they could have beaten Vocal Adrenalin into the ground. He had tried giving Kurt the book back to him at glee but he had run off before he had the chance. Wanting answers he picked up his cell and dialed the only person who might have them…

-end chapter-

Song used in this chapter:

Tracy Chapman – New Start

Staind – Outside

OK readers; that the end of the chapter. First of all I want to point out that this story begins immediately after episode four in season two of Glee. Also I have no idea who I'm going to put Kurt with if anyone at all so the jury is still out. I'm trying to integrate everything I've seen from the show into this story to make it as good as possible but if the characters are getting too OOC then I'm sorry. Also, since I saw the actor who plays Kurt use sai swords on youtube I thought it was funny hence why I put it in this story. If you guys think this story has any potential please leave a detailed review and give me as much feed back as possible. The more you give me to work with the better. If you don't like the story that's fine; but please offer constructive criticism as to why, because I will ignore flamers. Finn isn't going to come off as very nice in this story but I have no idea if that's going to change or not. Anything else I guess you'll have to read and see. Thank you all.

P.S.

A few years ago I started a Harry Potter story that I never got to finish since my computer crashed and took all my work with it. I don't know if I will start it again since it's been so long and I lost the inspiration for it. For now it's abandoned.


	3. Sympathy and Heartbreakers

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Sympathy and Heartbreakers

Author: Ash Knight

Pairings: (undecided)

Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

Despite how the day began yesterday it ended pleasantly with him and Noah pillow fighting until his father came down because of the noise they were making. Once they stopped laughing and got themselves under control Kurt's father just told them to keep it down throwing his son a mock glare, which let Kurt know he wasn't really that mad. After Kurt and Noah had straightened up and cleaned the mess they had made from the pillow fight they both went to bed with smiles on their faces. It was nice to know Noah wasn't freaked out by him being in the same room with him while he was undressed.

Knowing all this and with a good night sleep Kurt woke up in a much better mood than he had the previous day. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Lifting up his shirt he began to check on all the damage from the day before. After the bandages were taken off he saw that the cream had already started to work. The bruises had already started to reduce in size and started healing as was evident by the change in color. Instead of the black and blue from the night before they were now a mix of green and purple around the edges. It truly looked disgusting but Kurt was already used to how it looked and was thankful no one would see it.

Kurt then put his shirt back on and brushed his teeth. Breakfast was next on his agenda and he needed to start it soon so both he and Noah could get ready for school. He walked out of the bathroom and over to the couch where the new resident of his home lay, still asleep and lightly snoring. For a moment Kurt just watched him sleep, noticing how relaxed he seemed to be.

"Noah, it's time to get up" Kurt finally said.

Not getting any reaction from the halfback Kurt shook him by the shoulder.

"What?" he drawled out half asleep.

"You got to get up. You got to get ready for school and I got to make breakfast."

Noah groggily sat up and blinked his eyes as he looked around. Kurt chuckled at the sight as it made Noah look like a bald owl. However, Kurt soon stopped laughing as Noah stood up from the couch and stretched his body out with a few loud cracks and pops, completely exposing the tent he was pitching with his boxers. Quickly averting his eyes away Kurt turned and walked up the stairs before his friend notice his own reaction to the sight of Puckzilla in the morning.

By the time he was done cooking breakfast his dad had walked into the kitchen and Kurt served him his food.

"Dad, I invited Carole and Finn over tomorrow night for dinner, is that ok?"

"Sure son, but are you sure you're up for it though?"

"Yeah, it's no problem" Kurt said honestly. "I just got to make sure I got everything I need to make dinner for the four of us."

"That's not what I meant" Burt said giving his son a knowing look.

"Dad relax, I am done with Finn. Besides, I have too much in my life right now to even think about stuff like that for the time being."

His dad looked like he wanted to say something but decided to let it slide as he began to eat his breakfast.

"Sam is coming over again tonight along with Brittany. We need to work on some stuff for glee club."

"That's fine; just try to keep down this time. I could here the two of you from room last night"

"Sorry dad, I'll try to keep it down. We just got carried away" Kurt said with a big smile on his face which his father noticed.

With that Kurt fixed a plate for Noah and himself and tucked in. He told his dad he was going in for shift at the garage after school so he might be a bit late depending on how busy it was but he would still be back in time to make dinner. Burt that was fine and Kurt finished his breakfast and went downstairs to get ready for the day. Noah was still in the shower so Kurt decided to pick out his clothes for the day. His bruises would be easy to cover up but the problem was he still couldn't wear anything too tight since they still hurt.

He really needed to update his wardrobe again but he had spent almost all of his money for the month bailing Puck out and he needed the rest for getting him a bed on Saturday, not to mention his other expenses like his cell phone bill. But regardless he still didn't regret helping his friend knowing it was more important to help him than to buy new clothes. Besides he could wait another month for clothes, and the bruises would fade before then anyhow. Kurt was interrupted by his musing as Noah came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, still damp with water over his showered body.

"There's a fresh plate upstairs for you on the counter in the kitchen" Kurt said as he tried not to stare at his new friend's nipple ring or anywhere else for that matter.

"Thanks Kurt" Noah said as he started looking through his own clothes for something to wear.

Kurt went back to picking out his clothes and finally decided on a large beige sweater that ended just above the knees and a pair of skinny leg jeans. Grabbing a pair blue boxer brief underwear he took off into the bathroom. It was still full of steam from Noah's shower and Kurt put the clothes off to the side and turned the shower back on. Stripping off all of his clothing he got in and felt relief as the hot water began to run down over his body.

-Next Scene-

Grabbing a pair of fresh boxers for himself, Noah dropped the towel off his waist and started to get dressed. Just as he was pulling on a pair of dark blue jeans he heard Kurt's voice coming through from the bathroom.

_Stranger than your sympathy  
And this is my apology  
I killed myself from the inside out  
And all my fears have pushed you out_

And I wished for things that I don't need  
(All I wanted)  
And what I chased won't set me free  
(It's all I wanted)  
And I get scared but I'm not crawlin' on my knees

The soprano continued, unaware he had a hidden audience in the form of Noah still in the closet getting dressed. For some reason Noah couldn't help but smile as he heard Kurt singing. He couldn't deny the guy had a great voice but he was surprised by the way he sounded. Kurt had mentioned last night about his vocal diversity but Noah didn't really get it until now. Before, whenever he heard Kurt sing, while it was always great his voice was always very feminine. To hear him now was a big difference from what he was used to.

_Oh, yeah  
Every thing's all wrong, yeah  
Every thing's all wrong, yeah  
Where the hell did I think I was?_

And stranger than your sympathy  
Take these things, so I don't feel  
I'm killing myself from the inside out  
And now my head's been filled with doubt

We're taught to lead the life you choose  
(All I wanted)  
You know your love's run out on you  
(All I wanted)  
And you can't see when all your dreams aren't coming true

More than ever he wished he had been there yesterday in glee to have heard him sing to Finn. Noah laughed out loud at the idea of what Finn's face probably looked like as watched the Kurt Hummel blasted him in song yesterday with a song that was so foreign from the sopranos usual style. He kept listening as he continued getting dressed, smiling the whole time. Once he found a black clean shirt he went upstairs to eat whatever Kurt had made for him. He had to admit he liked Kurt's cooking so far. Burt was still seated at counter reading the newspaper as Noah emerged from the basement.

Still nervous around the older man, Noah said a simple good morning and grabbed the plate that was obviously meant for him since it was still untouched. They stayed relatively silent with the only thing said were few pleasantries. As soon as he finished he excused himself and went back downstairs. Kurt was dressed by now and sitting at his vanity mirror apply his customary makeup. Noah didn't really understand the point of putting all that gunk on but choose not to say anything. It had been kinda cool to see Kurt yesterday being more of dude but now it looked like it was back to his usual gay look. With a shrug Noah simply picked up his cell from the charger he had plugged in before he went to sleep and sat down on the couch. Kurt continued his routine until he heard the jock break out in laughter and looked over to see him looking at his cell phone.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I'm just sexting Santana."

"To be honest I don't see why she bothers. I've seen your sext before and I have to say they were very uninspiring."

"When the hell have you ever seen my sext Hummel" Noah asked, offended Kurt of all people was questioning his skills.

"Uh hello, we're talking about Santana here. She brags all the time about the two of you and sometimes shows off the sexting in front of the other cheerios, but it's more of a way claiming you as hers. So I've seen your sexting plenty of times and I have to admit it's pretty boring."

"What would know? Last time I checked you're still a virgin."

"While that may be true, I believe you're forgetting I'm also an honorary girl at school. I hear all the time first hand what women really want. On top of that I've read plenty of romance novels and literature to express many different desires. So I can say with absolute certainty that I could sext even better than you" Kurt finished as he adjusted a scarf on his neck.

"Bullshit!" Noah said. "There's no way you could ever sext better than Puckzilla!"

"Oh yeah, than how about I prove it" Kurt said as he stood up and faced the jock.

"How are you gonna do that?" Noah just rolled eyes, not believing Kurt could really back up his claims.

"Give me your cell, and I'll sext Santana myself, letting her think I'm you. I'll do it so good that before lunch period is over she'll drag you to some place, of my choosing, and fuck your brains out" Kurt said with a confident smirk and crossed his arms.

He couldn't believe Kurt of all people had just offered to sext with Santana, especially to prove he could do it better than him, Puckzilla. Needing to establish his superior skills he told Kurt he was on. Kurt took the cell and began typing away, making sure Noah didn't see what he was typing to the Latina. Kurt just told him to finish getting ready or they would be late. Noah left Kurt waiting couch and grabbed a pair of socks and his sneakers and his book bag. As he put everything on he looked over at Kurt and saw he looked about ready to throw up at whatever Santana was sexting him. With a smirk he knew the resident gay of WMHS had bitten of more than he could chew. Kurt was definitely disgusted by hetero sex but he just tried to picture Santana as another guy. When Noah said he was ready he went over to his bed and picked up his bag, still not giving Noah his cell phone back.

"I gotta go to the garage after school today, so let's take your truck to school. I want to take it to see what we can do with it for the moment."

"There's nothing wrong with my ride Kurt."

"That's not what I see. That thing is a death trap and looks like it needs a lot of work. When was the last time you got it serviced?"

"Uh, never" Noah said as if it didn't matter.

"That's just what I figured" Kurt said with a roll of his eyes as he went back to sexing. "Come on we are going be late if we don't leave now" he finally said.

They went upstairs and said goodbye to Burt and got into Noah's truck. As they drove Kurt continued to sext Santana and refused to give the phone back to its owner.

"You can't drive and text at same time" Kurt said still typing away.

"I do it all the time" Noah retorted. "Besides I'm just trying to save you some embarrassment Hummel! You're looking so green you could be Kermit the Frog."

"Don't worry about me Puckzilla, I'm just fine, so just keep your eyes on the road because I know you just can't handle what I'm doing anyway."

Noah just rolled his eyes his eyes and told Kurt he was dreaming, making Kurt speed up his typing. They reached the school in time and as they walked up to the entrance Kurt gave the jock his phone back. Looking through it he saw all the text had been erased. Confronting the soprano about it all Kurt did was smirk at and said 'auditorium'. And walked through the front door of the school. At a complete loss Noah just shrugged deciding to drop it for the moment and walked inn the school following Kurt.

He was met by shocked looks and the customary looks of fear from all of the geeks. People immediately took notice as he walked down the hall and some of the geeks tried to run only for Puck to catch sight of Jacob Ben Israel. Never one to miss an easy opportunity to establish his dominancy he quickly went over causing Jacob to scream in fear.

-Next Scene-

Kurt turned as he heard a scream only to watch as Puck grabbed the school newspaper guy and drag him outside. He was hoping Puck would stop with the bullying but then again it was Jacob. The pervert was usually begging to get his ass kicked with his antics, and just kept begging for more. Not wanting to think about it Kurt kept walking towards his locker. He had to get his math book for next period and needed to get his cheerios uniform. Emptying his bag what he didn't need, Kurt's heart jumped into his throat as he realized his portfolio was missing. Looking through the bag he saw it was gone and then looked in his locker, hoping he had just forgotten it there.

Once again Kurt found the book nowhere to be seen and he began to panic. Making sure to double check his locker confirming it wasn't there he began to panic. Trying to think of where he could have left it he began to retrace in his mind the last time he saw the portfolio. He remembered putting it in his bag yesterday morning. After that he had gone to school and was getting his other books from his locker when… when the fight started. Looking around he didn't spot his portfolio anywhere in the hallway.

Logically, by now he knew if it had been thrown out of his bag during the fight someone must have picked it up. Paling at the thought of Karofsky and Azimio having found it. If they had he might as well start digging his own grave. While the book itself wasn't so bad since it didn't really have anything embarrassing in it wasn't much of a big deal. However the DVD he had made was what really worried him. A lot of the stuff he had recorded was very private and would make him a laughingstock. And not just him but Tina and Brittany and some of his friends on the cheerios who had helped him out. He had to get it back!

Trying to think, Kurt was at least a bit sure that Karofsky and Azimio didn't have it because aside from bumping into Sam they hadn't done anything else and he would have noticed them picking anything up as they left. But then who else could have it? His mind was spinning at the possibilities and was only interrupted by the sound of the bell. The hallway started to clear but instead of going to class Kurt headed straight for the lost and found in the main office. It was a long shot but he had to try at least something. He had to find that book, he just had to…

-Next Scene-

Puck had enjoyed throwing the newspaper guy in the dumpster and hearing the perv scream out in fear. As he walked back into the building he brought back down from his high as his phone rang. He looked and didn't recognize the number in the ID.

"Who is this?" he said, not bothering with a greeting.

"Hello is this Noah Puckerman?" a mans voiced asked on the other end.

"Who wants to know?"

"My name is Jason Brown Esq. I was contacted by a friend of yours, Rachael Berry to take your case" he explained. "I've been trying to find you since yesterday afternoon but I was told someone had posted your bail and you were released until your hearing."

"Uh, yeah, I'm back in school right now" Puck answered quickly.

"Well I won't keep you then. I was hoping to speak with you in person about your case sometime in the coming week. You may call my secretary and set up an appointment at your earliest convenience."

Noah quickly took the number and hung up. Being reminded of his legal problems was definitely a sobering thought. Not wanting to deal with it he walked off towards the nurses' office, eager to take his morning nap.

-next scene-

Going to the lost and found had been a waste of time as he had feared. No one had turned it in which left him back at square one. Right now Kurt was trying to stay cool, knowing that he had no recourse but to sit and wait for someone to come forward. He walked into his math class late and took his seat after he had given the teacher his late pass. As he did he noticed Noah wasn't in class, which didn't surprise him much. Noah hadn't gone to a math class in the last two years and as much as he wanted him to start showing up to class he knew he shouldn't expect a 360 out the halfback over night. He just hoped he wouldn't do anything that would ruin his chances. After all, if he got himself into anymore trouble right now there was probably nothing Kurt could do for him.

Putting it out his mind Kurt just opened his math book and began taking notes. The class seemed to drag on forever and most of this he could do in his sleep. Kurt had always been good at school and math, science, English, French, and Spanish were his best classes, with an A average in all of them. The moment the bell rang Kurt bolted out the room and headed for the girls bathroom. Going into the first empty stall he saw he began to change into his uniform and folded up his normal clothing. Once that was done he took off for gym.

Gym had always been his most hated class since he usually had his clothes stolen from his locker and then thrown into the toilet. Or the guys would try to mess with him during class by tripping him while jogging and so forth. But one of the perks of being a cheerio was that he didn't have to deal with any of that anymore. Instead he could stay in the gymnasium while the rest of the guys did their usual exercises and use the equipment in the cheerios gymnastic room that Sue Sylvester had made exclusively for cheerio use.

Pulling out his mp3 player he put on some dance music and pushed in his ear plugs. With some light stretching he loosened his muscles up, mindful of his back and then began doing some simple cartwheels. Once he felt his blood flowing he changed to more complicated tricks going faster and faster into the routine. He took a running start to build up his momentum and ran up the far wall a few feet before kicking off doing a triple flip in mid-air, landing in crouch like a cat. Then just a split second after he landed with just the strength of his legs he launched himself up and backwards doing flips landing on his feet each time, never once touching the ground with his hands. Once again he landed in crouch letting the momentum he had built up slide him backwards slightly.

Completely out of breath Kurt stood up and turned off the music just in time to hear the door open. Having expected this Kurt carefully schooled his features, making sure not to give anything away.

"Give me the key to the auditorium" Santana demanded.

"Nice to see you to" Kurt answered sarcastically.

"Whatever, just give me your key, I need to use the auditorium, like five minutes ago, so give it up!"

"No" Kurt stated and then turned his back on the Latina.

"Look, Kurt, I don't have time for this, just give me the key and I'll get out of your grill."

"Well for starters you could actually ask me for the key with some manners."

"Could I please have the key?" she asked sounding anything but polite.

"Better but not good enough. Now if you really want the key, you're gong to have to give me something in return" Kurt said with a confident smile.

"And what would that be?" Santana asked wanting to get this over with already.

"Well, I was working on a private project of mine but sadly enough to finish it I need a female dancing partner, one that could keep up with me. I was hoping to use some of it for a new routine for the cheerios I wanted to propose. I thought about asking Quinn but she doesn't have… the spice for it if you get my meaning. So I was wondering if you wanted to give it a try."

Santana was thinking it over, weighing her options carefully. In the end the idea of possibly getting one over Quinn won out and she agreed. Kurt gave her the key and told her to return it at glee this afternoon. Without even a word of thanks Santana took off. Kurt laughed at what he knew was going to happen in the auditorium.

"_I win" he thought to himself and laughed once again._

-next scene-

Puck was lying in the nurses office sleeping like a log as he usually did. He was suddenly awakened thought as he felt a very pleasant sensation of someone fondling Puckzilla. He slowly opened his eyes to see Santana standing over him looking like a wolf ready to sink her teeth in its prey.

"Rise and sunshine" Santana said seductively as she continued her ministrations.

"Couldn't wait to see Puckzilla again I see" Noah smirked up at her, placing his arms behind his head.

"You're the one who said to come find you," she replied as she worked his crotch even harder. "Now the question is, do you have the balls to do what you said you were _aching_ to do to me?"

At a complete loss he didn't know what she was talking about. Thanks to Kurt deleting all of the texts he was flying blind.

"You know Puckzilla is always ready" he moaned out.

"I got the key to open the auditorium, be there in five minutes. Use the backstage entrance. I'll be waiting."

With that the she stopped what she was doing and walked away, leaving Noah lying in the nurses office with an obviously raging hard on. Steeling himself Noah got up and left the nurses office. Making sure there was no one around he pulled out his cell phone.

"_What the hell did you tell Santana?" he typed and pressed send._

He went to the bathroom to collect himself and was about to leave as he felt his cell vibrate.

"_Just use the bra to tie her up. That's the only hint I'm giving you. And I guess this means I win, LOL!"_

Growling in frustration he put his cell phone back into his pocket and walked to the auditorium. The door was open of coarse and he walked through. There was no one backstage so he walked out further passed the red curtain. He found Santana waiting for him, standing right in the center of the stage underneath a spotlight shine right at her. As he walked towards her he saw she was holding something behind her back.

"Miss me much?' he said as he stepped into the spotlight with her.

Instead of answering she simply gave him a predatory smile and handed him what she was holding behind her back; her bra.

"Go ahead," she said in sexy voice. "Do it! If you think you got what it takes."

-next scene-

His work out had increased his appetite fiercely and Kurt felt like he hadn't eaten all day. He walked into the lunchroom and went straight for the healthiest thing he could find. Getting a salad and some fruit he paid for his lunch and quickly looked for Mercedes only to find she was not in the lunchroom.

"Hey Kurt over here" he heard.

Sam was calling him over like the day before only he was sitting alone at a table. Kurt walked over sat down, looking for where Quinn might be.

"Hey Kurt. I missed you at gym today, where'd you disappear to?"

"I was working on my gymnastics" Kurt answered. "I have to make sure I stay in top form and I was working out some stuff for a new routine."

"Sounds cool. It's the same for me to. I always have to work out to keep up with everyone else on the team. For now though I got an excuse not to since my arm is still sore from being dislocated. I don't know what coach Beiste is going to do though for the next game. I really want the quarterback position again."

"To be honest I'm glad I don't play football anymore."

"You were on the team?"

"Yeah, last year. I was the kicker."

"Wait a sec; you're the kicker coach Beiste told us about?"

"Well that depends on what you heard."

"When we were trying out she was saying stuff about how the team only won a single game last year and how it was all due to some kicker. That was you?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied with a shrug.

"But wait, why did you quit? I thought after you won the team the game you would have become a legend or something."

"Yeah, you'd think so" Kurt said with a roll of his eyes. "Football just wasn't my thing. I only did it because I wanted to make my dad proud of me. We're already as different from each other as night and day, and I thought that if I joined the football team we could finally connect. But, in the end I came out to my dad after the game. I was so freaked out because I thought he wouldn't love me anymore. But, he said he knew I was gay since I was three and said he loved me no matter what."

"Your dad seems pretty cool" Sam said looking very sad for some reason. "But it's too bad you didn't stay on the team. We still don't have a decent kicker for the team."

"Well, I like being a cheerio more than I ever liked football. I just don't like sports all that much. I learned enough about football when I joined the team to at least talk with my dad a bit about it whenever it comes up it since he loves the game, but that's as far I'm going to take it."

"That's too bad, I love sports. It was the only thing I was good at since my dyslexia makes it so much harder for me to deal with school. I'm just barely able to stay eligible to play."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yeah, most of the time it feels like I'm being taught in three different languages. I learned some techniques on how to deal with it but it takes me longer to actually get it all to stick in my head."

"Well, my grades are really good and most of the time I'm bored out of my mind with what they give me. If you want I could help you out and tutor you a bit. Maybe after we catch you up it won't be as hard anymore for you."

"Sure, that'd be awesome! But are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered if it was going to be problem" Kurt laughed. "Just call me whenever you're free to set up some time and we can work things out from there."

"Thanks Kurt, that's really cool of you."

"Anytime" Kurt said. "By the way, where's Quinn?"

"She said she had to go to the library to get some stuff for a paper she had to do. Everyone else has been kind of been doing some damage control with the Rachael and Finn situation."

"Wait what situation."

"Supposedly they had some huge fight last night. From what Quinn says Rachael got pissed off because she found out about Santana and Finn sleeping together."

Kurt felt his head start to pound, already getting a headache from the drama he had inadvertently caused.

"Where's Finn now then?"

"I don't know, but I think he's just lying low" Sam answered. "He got a huge slushy bath last period and he can't seem to walk the hallways without someone shouting out 'Limpdick' in his direction."

Kurt let out a painful moan as he put his head in his hands. He really shouldn't have lost his cool yesterday but the damage was already done. Hopefully everything would blow over soon since the last thing he needed right now was more problems with Finn. Sam then asked where Puck was since he hadn't seen the halfback all day. Kurt just shrugged and said he was probably tied up at the moment with s a small laugh. Sam looked like he wanted to press it further but instead dropped it.

-Elsewhere-

Artie had called Mercedes last night and asked her to meet him in the A/V room at lunch time. He figured if anyone could explain what he had seen it would be her. She had come over and Artie showed her the portfolio as well as the videos on the DVD. He was surprised to see Mercedes just as bewildered as he was. The diva had never seen either of the objects before and couldn't tell him why Kurt had never shown the group any of it. Mercedes had completely agreed with Artie about the contents of the book; it was fantastic.

When she looked herself up in the book she saw the sketch of Kurt had done of her. She was wearing an elegant midnight blue gown with an open V neckline. The gown made her look like amazing and it was accessorized with lots of gold jewelry. She had on large gold earrings and her arms were covered in gold bracelets reaching up her forearms. For a necklace she wore a gold coiled chain with a cross pendant. She loved it instantly.

She started looking at the breakdowns of songs he had written just for her and laughed. Kurt really knew her style and had chosen a lot of diva songs for her with some others he thought she could bring to life with her chocolate thunder. Along with that it broke out into more diverse range as she was placed with different members of the group. Her favorite duet songs were the songs Kurt had picked out for her and Puck to do, and a few to sing with Artie.

The level of surprise just kept going up when Artie told her about the DVD he had found in the book. He put it on for her to watch and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. But what really shocked her was the 'Defying Gravity' video. When the diva off happened she was very sad to vote against her best friend since he obviously wanted the solo so badly. The moment she heard his voice crack on the high F note she had become very disappointed and sad for her friend. But now after watching the video she was so confused. This video was made right after the audition which meant that Kurt had tanked his performance but that just didn't make any sense. Why would her best friend do that? She knew how excited he was about proving he was better than Rachael; hell they all knew. He even got them all to promise to vote for the better person. So why did he do it?

"You really didn't know?" Artie asked, still just as confused as before.

"No, I didn't I know. I don't understand any of this" she said as she held up the portfolio.

"I just figured you knew since you two are so close."

"Nope, Kurt never showed me any of this before. But, he's going to explain himself if I have anything to say about this" she declared in her usual diva style.

She took out her cell phone and began to text as Artie watched, not sure if he had done the right thing after all.

-Next scene-

As Kurt was having lunch with Sam, Quinn had finally showed up and they all had lunch together. Just as the lunch bell rang Kurt's cell phone began to vibrate. Expecting another text from Noah he was surprised to find a text from Mercedes. Needless to say she didn't sound happy and knew she wanted to talk to him about yesterday. With a sigh he just texted her back saying he would meet her early in choir room. The last classes of the day had been as boring as he expected. As soon as they were over he bolted to the choir room only to be stopped in the hallway by Noah.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded.

"Hey, don't get mad just cause I'm better than you at sexting. I told you I know what girls want, it's not my fault you didn't listen" Kurt said with a playful smile. "Besides, don't tell me you didn't have fun."

Noah looked like he didn't know whether to punch Kurt or laugh. Instead he just smirked and grabbed the soprano in a headlock and gave his new friend a noogie.

"Hey watch the hair!" Kurt said, not really mad.

They started getting strange looks in the hall as the other students watched them interact. Kurt told him he had to get to the choir room and Noah let him go, giving his hair one last ruffle, making Kurt slap his hand away. As they walked into the choir room he saw not only Mercedes waiting for him but Artie as well.

"What's up Mercedes?" Kurt asked.

"We need to talk Kurt" she said as she crossed her arms.

"Cedes, I'm sorry about yesterday, I was just having a really bad day."

"This isn't about that Kurt" Artie said as he wheeled himself next to Mercedes. "We want to ask you about some stuff."

"Ok, what's gong on?"

"That's what we want you to tell us" Mercedes declared as she pulled out the book from Artie's book bag behind his wheel chair.

Instantly knowing what it was Kurt snatched it out of her hand.

"Where did you find this?"

"I found it on the floor in the hallway after the fight" Artie quickly explained.

"You had no right to go through my stuff!"

"I didn't mean to Kurt. I tried to give it back to you yesterday but you just kept storming off."

"Fine, its ok, just forget all about it, alright" Kurt said not wanting to have this discussion at all.

"Were not going to forget about it Kurt. We are going to talk about it right now boo" Mercedes chimed in.

"There is nothing to talk about Cedes" Kurt insisted.

"What's going on?" Noah asked, not liking being kept out of the loop.

"Nothing, alright it's nothing" Kurt kept insisting.

"It's not nothing Kurt! If you had shown us this last year we could have beat Vocal Adrenalin into the ground. Why didn't you show us this before?" Mercedes pushed on.

"Mercedes, I didn't make this for us to beat Vocal Adrenalin with. It started out with just me in the book and songs I had performed and then stuff I thought I needed to work on."

"Ok then what about the DVD?" Artie interjected, looking as Kurt's face paled.

"It's private ok! Just drop it! It doesn't matter now." 

"Kurt, look at me" Artie said. "I know you're angry at us right now, but we're just confused."

"I'm not angry at you guys" Kurt said with a steadying breath. "This is just something I never wanted anyone to see."

"Kurt. . ." Artie was about to say something but was interrupted as Rachael walked in.

Quickly stuffing the portfolio away Kurt took a seat and acted like nothing was wrong.

"Puck! I didn't know you were here!" she said happily as she the jock standing by Kurt and Artie. "Did my dads' lawyer contact you; he said you had been released yesterday."

"Yeah he called me and gave me his info to make an appointment to see him about my hearing next month."

"That's great! I knew my dads' lawyer could help."

The rest of the group started to come in all surprised to see Puck, except Santana of course, who looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Quinn and Sam just said hello, and sat down just behind Kurt.

"Alright, Puck, it's good to have you back" Mr. Shue said with smile, and everyone sat down, once Noah's return was acknowledged by everyone. "Ok, now does anyone have a number to do for their assignment?"

"Actually Mr. Shue, now that Puck is back, there is a song I'd like to try" Mercedes said, standing up and giving Kurt a knowing look.

Kurt just put his head in his hands, wanting to just sink into the floor.

"Puck, could you give me a hand on the guitar?" she asked with a big smile.

Puck just shrugged and grabbed his guitar, joining the diva in front of the door. The moment the music began, Kurt just groaned which was thankfully hidden by the music. Kurt had picked this song for Mercedes last year when she had started to date the halfback briefly. Artie looked like he was about to laugh out loud recognizing this from one of Mercedes pages in the book.

_Your love is like a tidal wave, spinning over my head  
Drownin' me in your promises, better left unsaid  
You're the right kind of sinner, to release my inner fantasy  
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be_

Mercedes voice was definitely a good match for this song as she also began to dance around Puck while he played the guitar but never once touching him, just like Kurt's instructions said to in the book. Puck seemed to be getting a kick out of the attention, adding his cocky sex appeal to the performance. The rest of the group was smiling clearly enjoying the show, except Finn, Kurt noticed who seemed to not even realize what was gong on around him as he just stayed quite and stared at his shoes. Along with Santana who looked like she wanted nothing more than to stop the performance and rip the diva's hair out, roots and all.

_You're a Heartbreaker_

_Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around with me!  
You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around - NO NO NO!_

Kurt had picked the song because it seemed appropriate at the time, both knowing Mercedes reluctance to date the jock and his well know reputation with women. The glee club at this point had gotten up and were dancing amongst themselves while also watching. Mercedes really was working it as Kurt knew she could. Puck hadn't moved an inch and Mercedes with each verse was dancing more and wildly making it seem like she was fighting some invisible force that was drawing her closer to her would be seducer.

_Your love has set my soul on fire, burnin' out of control  
You taught me the ways of desire, now its takin' its toll  
You're the right kind of sinner, to release my inner fantasy  
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be_

You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around with me!  
You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around - NO NO NO!

In a quick move Mercedes had motioned for Quinn and Rachael to join her, backing her up and slowly advancing on Puck as the music slowed down.

_Mercedes: You're the right kind of sinner, to release my inner fantasy  
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be_

Mercedes: You're a Heartbreaker  
Rachael: Dream Maker

_Quinn: Love Taker  
All (for the rest of the song): Don't you mess around with me!  
_

_You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around with me!_

You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Don't you mess around with me!  
You're a Heartbreaker  
Dream Maker, Love Taker  
Heartbreaker!

With that Mercedes pushed Puck away and turned her back on him along with Quinn and Rachael, letting Puck finish the last of the song notes with his guitar. As the last note wailed out the glee club applauded wildly. Puck was of coarse enjoying all of the attention, Kurt noticed. But then since when did he not enjoy the attention of beautiful women? Mercedes quickly went over and gave Kurt a kiss on the cheek and sat back down next to him.

"Wow Mercedes, you certainly went out on that one" Mr. Shue said still applauding.

"What can I say Mr. Shue I suddenly felt inspired" Mercedes replied, glancing over at Kurt.

"Of course you felt inspired Aretha. I knew you wanted me" Puck said and began to waggle his eye brows at her.

"Welcome back Puck" Mercedes said with a roll of her eyes.

Everyone laughed, except Finn and Santana, neither one of them looking very happy, although both for different reasons. Thankfully the rest of glee was uneventful, and as soon as it was over Kurt was out the door. He told Puck he'd be waiting by the truck and took off. As he headed to the truck he noticed Finn trying to talk with Rachael. Not wanting to get anywhere near that drama he shot on passed them and out into the parking lot. About ten minutes later Puck arrived, looking like he had won the lottery. They both got in the truck and Puck sped off towards Hummel: Oil & Lube.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?" Kurt asked.

"That whole thing in there. Think Aretha has come around and wants to get up all in this?" he asked jokingly.

"I seriously doubt it" Kurt said. "Besides I'm sure Santana is more than willing to keep you busy."

"Speaking of which what the hell did you tell her?"

"Hey, I told you before; don't get upset just because I'm better at sexting than you."

"You just got lucky, that's all" Noah said, not wanting to admit defeat.

"Uh huh," Kurt said, not really caring since he knew he had clearly beaten his friend at his own game.

Noah turned on the radio, neither one saying anything further. When they got to the garage Kurt got out and told Noah to bring the truck around to the parking lot in the back where they kept the cars that where in waiting to be serviced. Kurt walked into the office seeing Daniel behind the manager desk. Daniel had been working here for as long as his father opened the garage. He was an older man, a bit older than his dad, with a mane a dull grey hair and very dull brown eyes. He smiled as he saw Kurt come in.

"Hey Daniel" Kurt said as he walked into the office.

"Hey Kurt, how's your dad?" he asked.

"Bored out of his mind, but otherwise he's ok. After his stress test he should be back to take over again."

"That's great" Daniel said as he went back to signing some papers.

"Did the new parts for the transmission for the Nissan come in?"

"Nope, and I've been on the phone with them arguing about it for the past hour. They said it's going to take another two weeks, unless of course we pay extra."

"I'll give them a call and straighten it out" Kurt said, looking through the rolodex. "While I take care of this, could you head out back and bring in a pick up truck. My friend Noah is out back with it right now. Start a diagnostic on it, put everything on my tab."

"No problem boss" Daniel said with a big smile.

Kurt just smiled and began dialing the phone. Kurt had been working at the garage with his dad since he was five years old, which meant he knew the place inside and out. Now that his dad was unable to come in he had pretty much taken his dads place, in an unofficial capacity. Daniel was in charge of the shop officially, but Kurt knew just as much about cars as any of the other guys in the garage and could literally re-build an engine in less than two hours all by himself. It was clear they all expected him to take over the garage some day, and they didn't mind taking his orders. While Daniel was a great mechanic he just didn't have the managerial skills necessary to run the place. Every other day Kurt would come by the shop right after school to take care of those things and make sure everything was running smoothly until his dad got better.

Noah walked in to see Kurt sitting behind the desk on the phone arguing with someone. Kurt motioned for him to sit down while he listened to the other end.

"Look, don't try to con me, alright! We've been doing business with you since I was in diapers. I know what those parts really cost and I know we ordered it two weeks ago because I have the invoice right in front of me. Now are you going to tell my customers why their car isn't ready?" Kurt asked waiting for a reply. "I'll fax you the invoice myself right now, in the mean time I want those parts by no later than tomorrow noon, or I'm going to have to order from someone else, you got me?"

With a few finally words, Kurt hung up and grabbed a yellow sheet a paper on the desk.

"Sorry about that. People seem to think that just because my dad isn't here they can take advantage."

"No problem, but what exactly is that guy doing to my truck?" Puck asked, not liking the idea of anyone messing with his ride.

"Relax; I got Daniel doing a diagnostic on it that's all. From the way the engine sounds it probably needs some new plugs and should be looked at for anything else and I'd rather have it checked out."

"Dude my car is badass like me, it can handle anything."

"Don't call me dude!" Kurt retorted, getting annoyed. "This isn't about being badass or whatever it's about common sense. Taking care of your car is more than just filling up on gas and taking it to a car wash once in a blue moon.

"I know that!" Noah snapped back, not liking being chastised like a five year.

"Then how long has your oil light been on?" Kurt asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Noah was unable to answer the question as he obviously hadn't even noticed his truck need an oil change. Completely exasperated with Noah's macho bullshit he took the invoice and went over to the fax machine. Sending the fax off he then went to the cabinet in the corner and pulled out two pairs of coveralls, tossing one of them to Noah.

"That one should fit you" Kurt stated as he began to pull on his own.

Noah was about to protest when Daniel walked back in.

"Well, I'm done with the diagnostic. Here is everything that needs to be fixed."

Kurt looked over the clip board, checking things over, making some notes here or there.

"Alright, I'm going to get started on some of these. I won't be able to finish this all today but I can get the easy stuff out of the way now and I'll bring the car back Saturday and finish the rest."

Noah watched as Kurt and Daniel started discussing some options for the repairs, not understanding a word of it. After that Kurt just told Noah to follow him and put on the coveralls and walked out of the office leaving Noah behind. Noah just followed still not putting on the coveralls, not liking being told what to do. Kurt walked around and checked up on everyone's work and made sure everything was in its proper place before he went over to Noah's truck.

"Ok first and for most to prove I'm not crazy pop the hood and turn the engine on" Kurt told Noah.

"Whatever" Noah said and did as Kurt instructed.

"Now listen closely to all the noise the engine is making" Kurt said loudly over the noise.

"It's how my ride always sounds! There's nothing wrong with her" Noah declared.

Kurt merely rolled his eyes and tuned off the ignition. Over the next hour Noah watched as Kurt Hummel performed an oil change, replaced the plugs in his engine, and replenished his transmission fluid and then some. Only stopping to take care of some customers and answer a few questions from the mechanics on who Noah was. It was rather odd seeing the Kurt Hummel digging through car parts and immersing himself in engine grease. With another hour passing Kurt stood up and wiped his hands and face, leaving a big smear of grease over the right side of his face that made Noah laugh.

"Turn it on" he told the laughing jock, ignoring his laughter.

Still laughing Noah got in and turned the ignition key. The truck roared to life loudly as if just waking up. The change was blatantly obvious even to a layman. The engine sounded smoother and less like a grinder.

"You see, I told you" Kurt stated simply.

"Whatever" Noah said, not wanting to admit once again that Kurt was right.

Kurt closed the hood and told Noah to shut it off once again. Kurt then replaced all four tires on the truck with brand new ones since it was a miracle the others hadn't blew yet. How Noah drove so long on obviously bald tires was beyond him. When Kurt was done he did his usual rounds of the place, helping the other mechanics with the cars and then checked the inventory. After he re-checked all the paperwork and called it a day. He told Daniel to he was leaving and went to wash up. Noah watched the whole time, rather impressed with the soprano. He admitted to himself that while yesterday had been rather sobering, Kurt still kept finding ways of surprising him.

"You ready to go?" Kurt said suddenly beside Noah.

"Uh… yeah" He replied as he was brought out of his thoughts.

With that once again they were off, this time back to the Hummel household. On the drive Kurt started explaining the rest of the things the truck needed, like tire rotation and so forth. Noah just smiled said 'whatever' once more, trying to get a rise out of his new friend. Instead of rising to the bait Kurt just popped in his headphones and listened to his 'Wicked' playlist on his mp3. Before they knew it they were home and Kurt, once again began dinner. Burt was watching the "Deadliest Catch" and Noah joined him at Kurt's encouragement. Hearing them from the kitchen, Kurt kept working on his cooking. He suddenly remembered he forgot to drop by the library to get a kosher cookbook. He needed to ask Noah about what he could and couldn't eat.

His dad's stress test was after next week and if he passed he had promised to lighten up on the menu. But, he still wanted to make sure his dad seriously started to take care of himself. If it was just him and his dad it wouldn't be a problem but since Noah was staying with them he wanted to make sure Noah was comfortable also. Kurt figured being Jewish was important to Noah since he would only do songs of Jewish decent in glee and had made several mentions as to his heritage outside of glee as well. Although, he wondered if Noah realized that Hummel was a German name, and that Kurt was just as his name suggested, German. The irony was definitely not lost on Kurt and he laughed aloud at the thought.

Setting the table once again for the three of them, Kurt wondered yet again about what to do about the menu.

"_Maybe I could ask Rachael" he thought to himself._

She was the only other Jewish person he knew so that seemed like a good idea. Mentally writing it down on his checklist of the many things he had to do Kurt continued to making dinner, which came out to be cheese ravioli with fresh tomato and artichoke sauce. Kurt called the men to the table and served them each before finally serving himself.

"Are your friends still coming over?" Burt asked as he began to dig into his plate.

"Yeah, they should be here in awhile, I should have just enough time to take a shower."

"What are you gonna be working on?"

"Don't worry dad, I'll try to keep it down" Kurt said smile.

Burt laughed and took a bite out of his ravioli.

"Sam and I are teaming up to do that duet we never got the chance to do and Brittany needs my help finding a song to sing for Artie."

"Why is she singing a song for Artie?" Noah asked.

"It's a long story but basically she really likes Artie, but he's supper mad at her for something she did and won't talk to her at all."

"What did she do?" Noah pressed.

"It's not my business to spread around Noah," Kurt stated simply.

Noah just rolled his eyes and continued eating. Everyone continued to eat for a moment in silence, until finally Noah asked:

"So why are you helping her then?"

"She's my friend Noah; I don't really need any other reason."

"But since when are you friends? Last time I checked you barely talk to her at all."

"Brittany and I have always at least been on friendly terms although not very close. Plus after… well after we spent some time together last year we got very personal, so were still close." Kurt replied unable to suppress a blush as he remembered how close he got with the blonde.

"Wait… you mean… you slept with Brittany!" Noah laughed.

"No I didn't!" Kurt yelled.

"How far did you get then?" Puck asked with a huge shit eating grin.

"My sex life is none of your business Noah Puckerman!" Kurt snapped. "And I'll have you know a true gentleman never kisses and tells."

Noah just laughed all the harder, making Kurt want to sleep him right in the face.

"Uh son, you are… being safe, right?" Burt asked his son, making Noah laugh even harder.

"We are not having this discussion!" Kurt yelled, slamming his fork down, wanting this embarrassment to be over.

Ignoring Noah's laughter and his dads looks Kurt went back to finishing his food. Noah finally stopped laughing after about another minute, and went back to his own food. After some silence that was just fine by Kurt, his dad started to ask Noah some questions about school. Letting the two talk, Kurt simply finished his plate and excused himself to take that shower he wanted. He still had the faint smell of engine grease on him and he wanted to give his bruises some more attention as his back began hurting after gym.

By the time he had finished with his shower, Noah was already downstairs, plugging his X-Box into Kurt's TV. Letting him continue with his task he went over to his bag and fished out his mp3 player and his portfolio. He hadn't added a page for Sam yet and he wanted to get that done along with looking through his music collection for ideas for the duet. Finally the door bell rang and Kurt tucked the book away and went up the stairs. As expected Brittany and Sam were at the door. Kurt ushered them in and brought them to his room.

"Would you guys like something to drink?" Kurt asked as reached his room.

"Sure" Sam said and Brittany nodded.

He got them each a bottle of water and they sat on the couch.

"Ok, so do you guys have any idea of what songs you want to do?"

"I got a bunch of CD's and I thought we could look through them" Sam said.

"I couldn't think of anything" Brittany replied sadly.

"Alright then how about this; Sam help Noah with his X-box and play some games, while I help Brittany choose a song and help her with the music. When were done you and I can look through each others music and see if we can find something we can both agree on."

"Yeah that's cool" Sam agreed and went to join Noah in a game of Halo.

"Ok now Brittany, choosing a song should be easy as long as you're clear about what you want to say" Kurt explained, although Brittany just looked even more lost than before. "Alright, let's try this; close your eyes." Kurt instructed, and Brittany complied. "Now, I want you to think of Artie and sing a song that reminds you of him."

Brittany kept her eyes closed for a long time while Kurt watched. For a moment he thought she might have fallen asleep as she seemed so unresponsive. Since both Sam and Noah had been listening, being only two feet away, they paused the game to see what was going on. It was about another minute and a half before Brittany jumped to life singing:

"Five! Five dollar footlong!"

Sam began to laugh, unable to sit up, and Noah looked like he didn't know whether to laugh himself or vomit at the image of what there handicapped friend had in his pants.

"Ok, Ok Brittany, let's try something else" Kurt said, stopping her from from her continuous singing of the one line. "How about, instead we find a song that says what you feel about Artie and what you want to say?"

Brittany agreed and Kurt helped her look through all of the material he had. It took a good while but Kurt finally found one and started helping her with the vocals. The song was simple but he knew Brittany struggled with songs that had too many lyrics. Going through it line by line, coaching her slowly in vocal range until he knew she had it, he then let her practice on her own.

"Alright Sam, you ready?"

"Just a sec Kurt, Puck and I are trying to finish this" Sam replied as he continued playing.

"_Boys and there toys" Kurt thought to himself with a smile._

Kurt watched for a minute as Puck and Sam continued to play some mission or something. He really never played video games before so he was at a loss for what was going on. He then started looking through some of his music and started picking out some songs he thought might be good. When Sam was finally finished he and Kurt got to work looking at the material. Kurt quickly found that Sam was heavy into rock music. While he had no probable with rock music, in fact he enjoyed it to; he just didn't see himself singing anything like 'Disturbed'. Sam of coarse didn't even recognize anything he had picked out, as show tunes and musicals were not thing.

Kurt and Sam kept going over song choices until about another passed and they finally agreed on a song. It seemed like a good choice since it was easy for both there vocal ranges, and Sam loved astronomy as it turned out. It wasn't a duet song but they figured they could just take alternate verses and join together on the chorus. Kurt pulled out his laptop, and looked up the sheet music and printed it out.

Kurt suggested he could play the piano while Sam could accompany him with the guitar. Sam didn't have his own guitar yet so he couldn't practice the music.

"Noah, do you have your guitar on you?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, it's still in my truck" Noah informed, not taking his eyes of the game.

"Would you mind getting it and helping us out with this then?" Kurt requested, really clearly annoyed at Noah's inattention.

"In a minute" Noah responded, clearly not even paying any attention.

"Men" Kurt muttered placing his hands on his hips, making Sam laugh.

Exasperated with the jock Kurt marched over and dove his hand into Noah's right jean pocket.

"Hey!" Noah yelled as he felt the soprano's going into his pants, dangerously close to his groin.

Kurt just pulled out a set of keys threw Noah a look, daring him to say anything. With one final look Kurt just turned himself around and calmly walked up the stairs with his head held high exuding his usual aura of superior confidence. When he disappeared through the doorway, Sam laughed at the look on the halfback's face.

"What are you laughing at?" Noah said menacingly, not liking being laughed at.

Sam just continued laughing, until Noah was directly in front of him looking about ready to punch Sam's lights out. Sam quickly stopped laughing as Puck loomed over him, getting into his personal space.

"You're dating Quinn" Puck stated, looking Sam right in the eye.

"Yeah, I am" Sam replied nervously. "You got a problem with that I take it"

"She and I are just friends now, but I'm telling you here and now. If you so much as make her cry, you and are going to have problem" Puck stated with a crack of his knuckles.

"Enough!"

Puck looked over and saw Kurt standing on the stairs holding his guitar, looking like he wanted to slap Noah right in the face.

"That's enough!" Kurt repeated as he walked forward and tossed Noah his keys. "Go back to your game" he stated.

"I don't take orders from anyone Hummel" he growled.

"I don't care _Puck_! Go back to your game and let me and Sam finish our work in peace, or you and I are going to have a problem."

"Get real, you know you can't take me" Noah pressed.

"You're right I can't. But I'm not afraid of you either. I have to face the threat of violence everyday, so while you think you can intimidate Sam or anyone else, you can't intimidate me" Kurt said, walking right into Noah's own personal space.

"He still loves Quinn" Brittany said suddenly, making everyone look towards her and breaking the tension in the room, as they had forgotten she was there also.

Noah gave her a look which had no effect on the blonde cheerleader. So with one finally look towards Sam he went back to his game. Sam nodded in thanks to the blonde for coming to their aid, receiving a smile in thanks. Kurt gave him the guitar case and they got back to work. They worked for while until Sam got all the notes down. Since Kurt never once missing a piano lesson he was quiet skillful on the keys. All he needed to do was study the sheet music and he would be more than ready for tomorrow.

Sam thankfully was quick to pick up everything up they had finished in no time. When they were done Sam left with Kurt asking him to meet him in the choir room in the morning so they could practice one more time before glee. Sam agreed and gave Kurt a hug goodnight. Kurt then went back to coaching Brittany in her vocals and soon Brittany had it down perfectly.

"Thanks Kurt," she said. "You're really good with vocals."

"Anytime," Kurt said. "I practice my vocals a lot, so it's easy for me to do by now."

"I know; you're an amazing kisser" Brittany stated, making Kurt blush.

Noah who had heard, started laughing, making Kurt want to bury his head in a pillow. After a bit more practice Brittany left with the sheet music she had been given to practice with, giving Kurt a kiss goodbye.

-end chapter-

Songs used in chapter:

Goo Goo Dolls: Sympathy

Pat Benatar: Heartbreaker

OK everyone, here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoyed. I want to take the chance now to address certain things. First and foremost, I want to thank all of the readers who have left me reviews. To tell you all the truth I am really just flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to this story. I don't even know how its gong to end so anything could happen as for right now. From all of your reviews, it seems everyone wants Puck and Kurt to end up together. While I admit I was going to leave the option open for Kurt to hook up with other characters I'll be more than happy to get Kurt and Puck together. However its gong to take a while so don't expect too much too soon.

Also, I need to let everyone know that this chapter is actually incomplete. You see, when I was writing my first story, the Harry Potter story still in my profile, I wrote it with graphic sexual material. Someone reported me and got my story booted off the site and my account suspended for a good stretch of time. In this chapter I wrote a sex scene between Puck and Santana, but I took it out since I don't want any problems. But, now I've decided to leave the decision up to you readers. I will gladly repost the unedited version of this chapter and every chapter hence forth as long as you all agree not to get me into any trouble. I don't mean to hold my story hostage but if this story gets booted off the site than I'm just going to stop writing it. So please let me know what you want. Oh, and before I forget, I rebooted chapter two since I went back and did a bunch of grammar clean up and so forth but the content is still the same.

Beyond that I want to explain some stuff about the way I have the characters so far. Kurt is the main protagonist in this story and I chose him, not just because he's my favorite character but because, I've walked in his shoes before and because I also find him very compelling in the show. In this story a lot of his hidden strength and personality is going to shine through because his entire view point is that he doesn't have anything left to lose. It's like those cancer patients who are told they are going to die in less than a year. They put all their affairs in order and go about doing whatever they always wanted while they still have the chance. Kurt's motivation is that since he is planning his escape from Lima he can do almost anything. Add that motivation along with the strength and courage he displays in the show and you have a very bold Kurt to deal with. The idea for this story came to me as I watched the fourth episode when he was talking to his father about what Finn had told him about the duet with Sam. My idea was that it affected Kurt more than his father or anyone else realized, hence a big part of his choice to leave. On top of this you're going to see a lot more of his manipulative tendencies and cunning. In the last season you see him using these very qualities to try and get Finn. I really liked these qualities in him so in this story your going to see a lot more of that side of Kurt, the difference now being is that he wont be using them to hurt anyone but he'll still use them to get what he wants or even to help his friends.

As for Puck, in the last chapter, even I was worried about his being so out of character but in the end I wrote it that way because even in the show he has shown a more sensitive side which he always hides. Plus he was in a very bad place emotionally and in that one day he spent with Kurt, he saw more of the soprano than he ever did. With all the things he was bombarded with it kind of threw him off his game a bit but he's still Puck, and he is going to go about business as usual for a good while. This unfortunately is going to have some bad consequences for him. Hopefully Kurt will be able to help, since in the beginning I was planning on making Kurt Puck's moral compass. Now that they are living together, each of them is going to see more of each other than what they show other people, and while Kurt for right now can see right through Puck; Puck is going to learn to see right through Kurt as well. But, like I said I don't have anything set in stone planned for the characters so even I am going to have to see what pours out of my imagination.

Then there is one Finn Hudson. I have to admit here and now, I don't really like him all that much, however despite all evidence to contrary this is not a Finn bashing story. I always saw Finn as a gigantic homophobe since even before Kurt started in his planning he was blatantly uncomfortable around Kurt. Not to mention before Mr. Shue tricked him into joining glee, he was right by Puck tormenting him along with the rest of the jocks. That's something everyone never mentions or acknowledges because they instead mostly paint him as some cute naïve boy next door type. Kurt, now without his crush and his new sense of determination is not going to have any problem throwing all of Finn's past actions and his short comings (no pun intended) back into the quarterback's face. So far I don't believe I'm wrong but if anyone has another opinion please share it and let me and everyone else know. This is just how I'm interpreting the character which is always up for debate. In this story, Kurt Hummel's behavior is going to throw Finn Hudson for a loop which you might see more of in the next chapter, if I can plan it out correctly. Finn Hudson will either grow up or just blame others for his short comings until it's too late. Which one I don't know yet, and you'll probably know as soon as I do.

Well that's all I have to say for now so please be kind and review and let me know how I'm doing so far.


	4. A Day of Drama on Jupiter

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: A Day of Drama on Jupiter

Author: Ash Knight

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany

Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

Friday morning came all too soon as Kurt was forced awake by his alarm. Noah of coarse slept right through it and stayed in his slumber until once again Kurt woke him up, also once again having the same results as yesterday. While Kurt had no problem with Noah in his underwear, he did have a problem with Noah's raging case of morning wood. The problem wasn't that it was an unwelcome sight, far from it in fact. Kurt was honest enough to admit (just to himself) that Noah was totally gorgeous. With his ripped body and what Kurt could tell was obviously a very well endowed cock, if things were extremely different he wouldn't mind making a play for the halfback.

But, Kurt had learned from his previous mistakes. Despite how comfortable Noah was around him, he knew the jock was as straight as an arrow. Noah Puckerman loved pussy and that was that. All he had to do was think of the sexting and the Santana hook up yesterday to drive that fact home. He wouldn't be able to be in the auditorium again without remembering what had taken place there, even though it was his own fault. Besides all of that, he knew that if he ever did anything stupid like last year with Finn, he knew Noah would probably just kick his ass and he would lose the friendship they were just starting to build.

In the two days that he had spent with Noah he found he really did like jock. Underneath all of Noah's bullshit he was glad to know he was right and that there was someone worth while. That isn't to say Noah didn't get on his nerves, his badass persona got quite tiring after awhile and Kurt was glad he could just ignore it so far. Thankfully, physical attraction wasn't the same as emotional attraction. Kurt was more than strong enough to resist the temptation. Kurt had idolized Finn Hudson and had made him out to be something he wasn't and he couldn't let go of the image or his emotions until Finn himself had burst his bubble. Noah on the other hand; there was no illusion to fall in love with. He was a complete horn dog and completely self-absorbed, which made it very simple for Kurt to ignore his own body's betrayal at the sight of a nearly naked Noah.

His father sitting down at the counter brought him down out of his thoughts. His father said good morning and happily accepted the healthy breakfast. Not wanting to eat much Kurt just got himself a small low fat yogurt from the fridge and a banana and sat down with his father.

"I should have dinner ready by seven tonight" Kurt told his father.

"Carole and Finn should be here in time" Burt replied.

"After school I'm going to make a quick trip to the grocery store. I just need some fresh garlic but we're running low on some other stuff so I'll get everything all at once."

"Are you sure you feel up to a family dinner right now?"

"Yeah, why not" Kurt shrugged.

"Weren't you just fighting with Finn on the phone the other night?"

"Dad, I promise you, I have no feelings for Finn Hudson. We just had an argument, that's it."

"It sounded a lot more than an argument, son" his father pressed.

"Dad, I'm telling you, it's fine." Kurt insisted.

"Alright, if you're sure" Burt let it go.

Kurt quickly finished his breakfast and went downstairs to pick out his clothes for the day. He picked out a pair black slacks and another large sweater, this one a bright flamingo pink color. Topping it off with a matching beret and an original black silk Alexander McQueen scarf. He had just picked out a pair of underwear when Noah came in, once again in nothing but a towel that hung dangerously loose on the jocks hips. Kurt just rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom to shower for the day. He had this sneaking suspicion that Noah was purposely egging him on. A true egotist he just couldn't stop himself from showing off his body.

-Next scene-

As Kurt took his shower, Noah was looking through his cloths, only he had tossed the towel aside and was now standing naked. Not feeling like wearing any underwear today he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and went commando. Grabbing a random shirt he went upstairs for the food he knew Kurt had laid out for him. Thankfully by the time he had gone upstairs Burt had finished and was now in the living room talking to someone on the phone. He ate his breakfast, in silence contemplating on whether or not he should sext Santana, before he told himself to just forget it. Yesterday, while being a large amount of fun had just been plain weird. Noah never got the chance to see what Kurt had sexted Santana but whatever he said had seriously turned her on and probably bordered on the S&M side of the sexual spectrum. Santana was wild on her own, but whatever Kurt had told her, had brought out a whole new level wild that even he wasn't sure he wanted to get into.

Noah chuckled at the though of what Santana would say if she ever found out it had been Kurt who sexted with her yesterday and not him. If Kurt had been one of the guys he would have just laughed and given him a high five. But, from his reaction to whatever Santana and he were sexting pretty much reminded him that Kurt was as queer as you could get. The soprano did say he pretty much knew what all the girls really wanted and if his demonstration yesterday anything to judge by he could really deliver on that statement. It really was too bad Kurt was a complete pole smoker. If he was even just slightly interested in women, they could make an amazing team with Kurt as Noah's wing man.

Last year, before Finn had even started dating Quinn, and Finn had been Noah's best friend, Noah had taken him out to a few bars in hope of scoring some older women. This proved to be a total disaster since Finn was just too stupid to keep it together. First of all, he knew from experience that it didn't matter how bad your fake ID was, as long as you had the confidence. Finn just couldn't pull it off and almost every time he had to pay either the bouncer or the bar tender a chunk of cash to look the other way. Secondly, there was the women, whenever they even got close to a hot piece ass Finn would just bumble it all away. He was cute enough to attract women but once again he had no confidence and things usually ended up with Puckzilla having a case of blue balls.

The very worst incident happened one time when two cougars had started to flirt with Noah and Finn had been dragged along for the ride. Noah of coarse took the hot one while he let Finn take the average looking one. Thankfully she was too drunk by then to even care or notice how young Finn looked or how scared shitless he was by her blatant sexual advances as they danced together. He had started to think that Finn was either secretly gay or was just a pussy by the way he was acting. It came to a close as the cougar, hungry for action, had decided then and there that it was feeding time and grabbed Finn's crotch. Finn instantaneously shot a load right then in there in the middle of the crowded bar, very loudly.

Needless to say things went bad from there as they were kicked out and had to hightail it out of there before they had the cops call on them. That was the last time he had ever tried to go cruising for chicks with Finn. The whole thing would have been funny except he couldn't go back to that bar to cruise for chicks again. However if Kurt was straight he would probably be a hell of a lot better. Kurt, he had seen, was already a great actor so he could probably pull off the fake ID with no problem. Plus, if he was as good with women as his sexting then they could have had an amazing time. Shaking his head at the thought Noah went back down stairs to finish getting ready for school.

-Next scene-

Kurt was just finishing applying his lip gloss as Noah came back down.

"Aren't you ready yet?"

"I'm almost done" Kurt replied as he applied some mascara to his eyelashes.

"Why do you waste so much time putting on make up? You're a guy" Noah said, not getting the point.

"Firstly, most of the stuff here is actually skincare products I use to keep my skin flawless. Second, the makeup I do use is to highlight all my best features and make me look even more fabulous."

"Dude, you don't need any of that stuff" Noah said seriously.

"Aw, you love me, you truly love me" Kurt said as he batted his eyelashes as Noah.

"In your dreams Hummel" Noah laughed.

"Last time I checked, yesterday I proved I know more about what women dream than you do. If you actually think you can tell me what I dream about you're even more delusional than I thought" Kurt replied with a laugh.

"You're full it Hummel! Everyone wants a piece of Puckzilla!" Noah declared as he grabbed his crotch and flexed his left arm.

"In _your _dreams maybe, not mine" Kurt shrugged with smile, looking away before he could look at the outline of the halfbacks junk.

Noah not one to be upstaged quickly took off his shirt and flexed his body right in front of the soprano. It took every last shred of Kurt Hummel's self control not blush at the display. Getting up quickly he faced his would be tormentor and threw him a very seductive smile. He placed his right hand over Noah's chest and walked forward, pushing Noah backwards until the back of his legs hit the back of the couch.

"The day I ever fantasize about you" Kurt whispered seductively in a very low husky voice that showed his arousal and began to slowly slide his hand downwards towards the halfbacks pants, "and I in bed together is the day hell freezes over. But until then" Kurt suddenly poured a glass of cold water down Noah's pants, "cool off."

Kurt quickly turned away with smirk and walked upstairs leaving the jock in a daze. He put the glass in the sink and then texted Sam to make sure they were on to meet in the choir room. He then took stock of everything that he needed to get at the grocery store after school making a mental checklist. Sam then texted him back saying he would be there waiting for him. Kurt then went back downstairs only to see Noah completely nude from behind. He backed up the stairs quietly, not having been noticed, but he couldn't stop himself from peeking just a bit. Noah had thrown off the wet jeans and had grabbed a different pair. Kurt drank in the sight of a nude Noah, his firm back muscles and tight firm ass as he bent over to pull on his jeans. At the last minute he forced himself to look away, cursing under his breath.

When he saw Noah pulling on his shirt again he walked back downstairs, schooling his features into those of his usual superiority. Noah threw him a look, one that clearly indicated his anger at the humiliation he had been given by the smaller young man. Kurt just ignored him, after all Noah shouldn't dish out anything he couldn't take. He grabbed his bag and asked the jock if he was ready to go. The only answer he got was a rather rude gesture, to which he just smiled at and placed a hand over his heart.

Noah put on the radio while Kurt simply put in his earphones and started listening to his own music. Kurt glanced over and saw Noah was clearly annoyed but chose not to acknowledge it. It was clearly a blow to his ego that Kurt had gotten the best of him, not matter in how small a way. The soprano just hoped that his friend would just let it go. He already had Finn to deal with and he had to track down Rachael. He was planning to ask Rachael about Jewish cooking and then steer the conversation towards Finn. If he could just get her to talk to Finn he was certain they would patch things up and that would make Finn much happier.

That in turn would make tonight go a lot smoother. Kurt wished he had never started the whole thing with Finn last year. He knew it wouldn't end well but he just kept hoping that somehow he could get what he wanted. Now he was going to be stuck with Finn for a very long time, maybe forever if his plans worked out. Once he left Lima Finn wouldn't be a problem anymore. Carole could take care of his dad, and it was clear she loved him very much and vice versa. He hadn't seen his father look at anyone like he did at Carole. Except of course his own mother. Just thinking of her still brought an ache to the soprano's chest.

"_If only you could see me now" Kurt thought bitterly._

Would she be disappointed in him for planning to leave, for wanting to give up? No matter how much he wanted to pretend, he just wasn't strong enough to keep going anymore. If he could just get Carole and his father back together, and make sure his dad recovered well enough he could leave without any worries. With Carole here to look after his dad and make him happy, it wouldn't matter if he wasn't here anymore. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew his dad really liked Finn, despite what had happened. As soon as he saw them interact he saw how his dad and Finn connected so easily. It really hurt to see his dad so easily interact with Finn, when they could barely talk to each other about anything.

It hurt even more to know that he was a disappointment to his father. His father loved him no matter what, he knew that. But he also knew that the son Burt Hummel imagined he would grow up to be, the one he imagined the moment he had first held him in his arms when he was born, was not the one he had now. He wasn't the son his father could take to baseball games and talk about girls with. He wasn't the son that would one day make him a grandfather, like he knew his father had dreamt of being someday. Kurt would be the last of the Hummels, and it was a very sad thought.

"Snap out of it dude!"

"Huh!" Kurt muttered out in confusion.

"What is wrong with you?" Noah asked in an annoyed tone, although looking strangely concerned.

"Nothing, what's up?" Kurt pulled out his earphones.

"We're here" Noah stated gesturing to the school building in front of them.

"Oh," Kurt said and shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind a bit.

Kurt put his mp3 player away in his bag and got out of the truck. Noah watched him, not understanding what the hell had just happened. With a shrug he just told himself it was important and took off for his customary morning nap. Kurt texted Sam to let him know he was at his locker and just about to head to choir room. Kurt grabbed his books for the day and noticed he was already late. He closed his locker and was about to turn around when suddenly he felt something from behind slam into the back of his head. The force the impact slammed his head into his own locker and Kurt fell to his knees seeing stars.

A pair of hands grabbed each of his arms and forced him up. Fighting off his haze he looked and saw Karofsky and Azimio and a bunch of the other football players. Just as Kurt was about to yell at them to let him go Karofsky socked him the gut, silencing the soprano. They all grabbed him and carried his struggling form out of the hallway. Before he knew it he was taken out to the bleachers by the field. When he saw where they were taking him he redoubled his efforts to try and break free only to be punched in the gut once more. With a heave they threw Kurt into the port-a-potty and slammed it shut.

"Let me out!" Kurt screamed as he slammed himself into the door trying to force it open.

The door wouldn't budge and he could hear all of them laughing right out side of it. As they laughed Kurt continued to try and force his way out but he just didn't have the strength. Then the entire thing started to shake and Kurt knew what was going to happen. Over again and again he tried to force the door in his panic but it was no use. The port-a-potty tipped over with a loud bang and a disgusting slush sound. A huge wave of shit and piss washed out from the bottom of the portable toilet covering Kurt from head to toe. The smell was no longer bearable and Kurt immediately threw up.

Kurt tried to force himself onto his hands and knees only to fall face first back into the ungodly mess as the port-a-potty was rolled. The jocks continued to roll it until finally everything stopped and Kurt could hear their laughter once more. They had rolled the port-a-potty leaving the door facing the ground, making Kurt unable to open it.

-Next scene-

Sam had been waiting for a while and Kurt still hadn't showed. He tried to text him but he hadn't gotten an answer. Kurt had said he was right by his locker. It shouldn't be taking so long to get to the choir room from his locker. Sam strung the spare guitar in the choir room until finally he decided to look for his friend. He headed straight for Kurt's locker hoping to find him there only to find a completely empty hallway. Sam was about to give up and call Kurt's cell when he spotted something by the front door.

Walking over he found it was Kurt's bag. Panicking now he grabbed Kurt's bag and ran out into the parking lot heading straight for the dumpster.

"Kurt!' he yelled as he opened it up only to find Kurt wasn't there.

Looking around he didn't see anyone or anything else to let him know where Kurt was. He pulled out his cell dialed Kurt's number, hoping he would answer. It just kept ringing until finally it went to Kurt's voice mail. He hung up and dialed once more walking around, trying to find any trace of his friend.

"Sam!" a voice suddenly called out from the phone.

"Kurt, what happened?"

"I'm trapped… tty… ball field" was all he could hear.

"Kurt you're breaking up! Where are you!" Sam yelled.

"POTTY…FOOTBALL" was all Sam could hear before the call dropped.

Running as fast as he could he bolted straight across the parking lot towards the football field. When he reached it he looked around and saw nobody around. Remembering what Kurt had said he ran over to the port-a-potty section of the field still finding nothing.

"Kurt!" he yelled out looking around.

After a few rounds of yelling out Kurt's name, he noticed the marks on the ground. He looked and noticed finally that instead of the six portable toilets there were only five. With a sinking feeling he followed the markers over the ground and walked around trying to find anything that would at least give him a clue as to where Kurt had been taken. The marks began to turn into puddles that gave off a horrible yet familiar smell, until they lead him underneath the bleachers.

"Kurt!" Sam yelled as he saw the flipped port-a-potty.

-Next scene-

Kurt had answered his cell, forgetting he had it in his panic. Unfortunately it shorted out before he could clearly say what happened. Not really hoping for a rescue he tried to calm down and think of a way out of this. The door was effectively sealed, and no one knew where he was. He was literally knee deep in shit, and he had no way of escaping. In desperation he tried to shake the port-a-potty over but it was just no use.

"Kurt!" he heard someone yell.

Kurt began to bang the side of the portable toilet, to make as much noise as possible. It seemed like forever until he heard someone call out his name. He shouted out to try and get their attention and after what seemed like forever someone had found him, recognizing Sam's voice.

"Kurt! Hold on!"

Kurt by now couldn't even respond and just hoped he would be let out soon. The toilet began to rock once again until Sam put it with the door facing up now.

"They broke the lock!" Sam yelled as he tried to open it.

Kurt tried to push against the door with his back as Sam pulled from the outside. With one big heave the plastic lock gave way. Sam almost gagged at the smell and grabbed Kurt, helping him get out. Collapsing on ground, Kurt vomited until he had nothing left in his stomach.

"Kurt, we got to get you out of here" Sam said as he tried to help his friend.

Kurt just nodded as he forced himself onto his feet unsteadily. Sam took his arm trying to steady him, also to catch him in case he collapsed. The quickly made there way across the field and into the locker rooms. By some miracle no one was there, except Coach Beiste. She was in her office on the phone, looking through some files or something. Quickly sneaking passed her office they made it to the showers. Kurt began to take off all of his clothes, for once not caring that someone else was right next to him. When he couldn't get his sweater off since it seemed stubbornly congealed onto his torso Sam helped him get it off, and then helped take off his shoes and socks. With his help, Kurt was quickly stripped of all of his soiled clothes and stood naked in the empty locker room.

"You need clothes" Sam stated, making Kurt realize Sam had gotten his own soiled in helping him.

"In… my locker" Kurt stuttered out in short breathes. "There's some… spare clothes and toiletries…"

Kurt gave Sam the combination and let Sam guide him into a shower stall all the way in the back. Sam promised he would be back soon and took off at a run, using the hallway entrance to bypass Coach Beiste's office. It was still empty and Sam thanked god for that as he quickly opened Kurt's locker and retrieved the bags of neatly folded clothes and toiletries hidden behind the stack of books. He closed the locker and ran to his own, getting his gym clothes. Sam got back to the locker room, and as he reached the showers he could hear Kurt crying.

He knew the last thing Kurt wanted was to let anyone, even his friend see him cry. Even though Kurt was gay he was still a man. And most men didn't really like showing any weakness in front of anyone, especially other men. Sam decided to give him a sec to compose himself and put the spare clothes in the nearest locker, closest to the showers and closed it loudly to let Kurt know he wasn't alone. Sam took off all of his own clothes, noticing for the first time how soiled he was himself, just from helping Kurt climb out of that portable toilet and helping him get to the showers. He emptied his pockets and threw his clothes in a pile next to Kurt's. Sam then went through Kurt's pockets to see if there was anything there before he threw all of the clothes out. Finding a ruined cell phone and a set of keys.

Forcing himself not to vomit at the horrible smell, Sam quickly bundled all of the clothes up and chucked them in the large garbage in the back of the locker room. He then opened the locker again and took out the bags of toiletries and walked into the showers. Kurt had composed himself as much as he could and was scrubbing at his arms furiously with the generic soap that was always in the shower stall for people who didn't bring there own.

"Here," Sam said as he walked up to Kurt with the bag in hand.

Kurt turned around and took the bag, taking out his own soap and shampoo, nodding in thanks. Sam quickly turned on the shower right next to Kurt's but then returned right back to Kurt's and stepped under the hot spray with him.

"What are you doing?" Kurt whispered, making the first attempt to cover himself.

"Dude, I know this is super embarrassing but this isn't the time for modesty. We got to hurry before the next class comes, since I doubt you want anyone to see either you or me like this."

Knowing he was right Kurt just nodded, not having the strength to argue.

"You do you're front and hair, and I'll do you're back" Sam said and picked up a wash rag and lathered it up.

Kurt grabbed one also and poured his body wash into it and began to scrub the shit that was still stubbornly smeared over his arms, chest and face. Sam tried to be careful since he saw Kurt's back was still bruised from the day before. He apologized when he felt Kurt wince at his scrubbing. But, Kurt just said to keep going, knowing Sam was helping. As Sam went lower Kurt went higher and tried to scrub out his hair, noticing the water run down off his body in a putrid brown color with small pieces of shit that had clung to his hair. By the third repeat the water was clear and he asked Sam to check if there was anything left in his hair to be certain.

"All clear" Sam informed him, stopping his scrubbing to check.

Kurt thanked him and very self-consciously began to scrub at his private area while Sam scrubbed at his buttocks and down his legs.

"_The first time I ever take a shower with another man and it's like this!" Kurt thought to himself, ashamed._

Sam noticed Kurt begin to cry once more, trying to force himself not to. On pure instinct Sam wrapped his arms around the smaller mans body and hugged him. This caused Kurt's composure to crumble and he began to sob into Sam's chest. Sam just held him tighter, neither caring that they were both complete nude anymore, or noticing that Sam had started crying too.

"Kurt, I swear I didn't know" Sam wept tightening his hold on the small brunette.

"Of course, I know you didn't" Kurt replied. "You're not like them Sam."

Kurt looked up into Sam's eyes and saw how sad and hallow his eyes looked. Someone as nice as Sam should never feel so horrible. And someone as nice as Sam should never look so haunted. He reached up and caressed Sam's face, wiping a tear away with his thumb. Sam nodded and Kurt reached up on his toes and kissed the blondes cheek.

"Come on it's your turn and we got to hurry" Kurt declared breaking the tender moment between the two friends.

Sam understood and got directly under the hot spray of water and began to scrub himself clean with Kurt helping him just as Sam had done for Kurt before. Thankfully Sam was nowhere near as filthy Kurt was. Kurt gave Sam his own shampoo to use, making a joke about how it was better for color treated hair. Sam laughed and told him he didn't dye his hair. Laughing, Kurt retorted that the carpet didn't completely match the curtains pointing down to Sam's crotch.

"Ok, so I put lemon juice in my hair" Sam laughed out loud.

They both just laughed until they heard someone coming. Kurt quickly pushed Sam away out of the shower in panic and Sam jumped into the empty stall he had left running, wincing at the freezing cold water.

"Who's in here?" Coach Beiste voiced boomed out.

"It's just me coach" Sam answered quickly as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself.

He looked over at Kurt and they both turned off the water for the showers, with Kurt hiding behind the stall. Sam walked out and met the coach trying to look calm.

"What are doing here and not in class? What's that god awful stench?"

"Sorry coach, I was on my way to class when I suddenly got a bad case of the runs. I guess I shouldn't have eaten that opened bag of cool ranch Doritos I found under my bed this morning."

Thankfully the smell kept her from questioning his story and she told him to hurry up and get to his next class before he was late. Sam just nodded and waited until she was gone before he told Kurt he could come out. Kurt thanked him, and they began to get dressed as fast as they could. Kurt had a pair of dark blue skinny leg jeans and a plain black t-shirt and a pair of white boxer briefs. Sam unfortunately didn't really have as much. All Sam had was a red hoodie and a pair of basketball shorts. Seeing this Kurt quickly told Sam he had some more clothes he could use, even if it was a tight fit.

"Here, try these on" Kurt said, tossing his friend his spare boxer briefs.

Sam dropped his towel, and pulled them on. They were one size too small but it wasn't so bad. Kurt then gave him a white t-shirt and some socks. The socks were ok but once again the shirt was smaller than his normal size.

"Thanks Kurt" Sam said as he pulled on his shorts.

"Anytime" Kurt replied and continued to dress himself.

Kurt pulled out a pair of calf hugging boots and quickly put them on. He took out deodorant and body spray and shared it with Sam. Sam gave Kurt his bag which he had found in the hallway when he was looking for him. The bell rang and the hallway was soon filled with the chorus of feet walking through it. Kurt and Sam hightailed it out of the locker room before anyone walked in. Looking over at Kurt he saw him crossing his arms over his chest defensively and draped his arm protectively over the soprano's shoulder as they walked down the hall together. They got to Kurt's locker and put back the bags Kurt had kept everything in.

"Do you still want to practice?"

"Yeah, uh… let's do it right after lunch. I have to find Rachael and Finn and talk to them to fix some stuff I started with my outburst the other day" Kurt answered.

"I'll come with you" Sam declared.

"You don't have to do that Sam; you've already gone above and beyond."

"I know I don't _have_ to Kurt, but I _want_ to."

"Aren't you going to miss class?"

"Yeah, but that's why it's a good thing I got you to be my tutor" Sam smiled.

Kurt smiled and just gave in.

"Than could you text Rachael for me and ask her to meet us in the library?"

Not needing to be asked twice Sam did so, getting a reply that she was on her way. Kurt and Sam headed over to the library and sat at the study tables. Rachael came in a minute later. As she walked towards them, Kurt asked if Sam could track down Finn and bring him to the choir room. Knowing he wanted to talk to Rachael alone he nodded and went to track down the re-instated quarterback. Sam passed by Rachael giving her smile which she returned.

"Hey Rachael" Kurt said as he got up and from the table.

"Hey Kurt, Sam said you needed to talk."

"Yeah, umm, let's go somewhere more private thought, ok?"

"Sure" she agreed seeing the serious look on his face and followed Kurt out of the library.

They walked down the hallway until they got to the auditorium and Kurt sat down on the stage by the piano with Rachael.

"What's going on Kurt?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you about some stuff, but let's take care of the non-personal stuff first ok?"

"Ok," Rachael agreed.

"Well, I know you're Jewish and I need to ask something" Kurt began before Rachael cut him off.

"Oh Kurt there is no need to be embarrassed. I will be more than happy to share my faith with you. My temple is very progressive so you being gay wont be an issue, I promise. Now that you believe my gay dads and I help you convert…"

"Rachael, Rachael, hold on a sec. Let's back up ok? I am still an atheist and I don't want to convert to anything" Kurt said cutting off her excited tirade. "Now as I was saying, I know you're Jewish and I need some help. You see, Noah is now living with me and my dad."

"Wait… why is Puck living with you?" she asked, clearly confused.

"It's a long story but after the whole juvie incident, his mom kicked him out of the house."

"Oh that's terrible!"

"Yeah I know, but anyway, one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, is that since you're the only other Jewish person I know I thought you could help me with the whole kosher cooking thing. Right now with my dad still recovering, I got us all on this vegan diet, but once my dad passes his stress test I was planning on easing up on the diet but still keeping everything healthy as possible. My cooking skills are excellent of course but I don't know anything about Jewish cooking or diet, except the whole no pork, and no mixing meat and dairy."

"That's very sweet of you Kurt" Rachael said with smile. "I have a lot of cookbooks on Jewish cooking and even my own family recipes. I'd love to share them with you. It's been along time since I used or worked on my cooking."

"That'd be great Rachael, thank you."

"It's no problem Kurt, although I don't see what the big deal is. You didn't have to bring us here just to ask me that."

"Actually, the reason I brought you here was because I wanted to discuss your problem."

"What problem?" Rachael asked, confused once more.

"Finn" Kurt stated simply.

"Kurt no offence but you wouldn't understand" Rachel said trying to end the conversation.

"Rachael, look I didn't mean to start this fight between you and Finn, and I can't believe I'm getting in the middle of this but, when Finn slept with Santana you were dating Jesse, so Finn never cheated on you."

"Kurt, it's not about that!"

"Then what is it about Rachael, cause I know you can't be mad at Finn for something he did while you weren't even together."

"I can get over him sleeping with Santana Kurt, it's just that…"

Kurt stayed quite, waiting for her to continue.

"It's just, he lied to me about it, and now… now I don't know if I can trust him."

"Then Rachael, why don't you tell him that? Talk to him and confront him about it instead of just fighting with him. I'm sure you can work everything out. You've come too far from last year to just thrown in the towel now. Don't you think so?"

"I guess you're right" Rachael said.

"Of course I'm right" Kurt declared like it should have been obvious from the beginning.

Rachael laughed and gave Kurt a hug. She left in high spirits, probably to look for Finn. Now he needed to talk to Finn and make sure tonight went off without a hitch. He headed for the choir room only to find it empty. Sam hadn't found Finn apparently, which was just as well. He was dreading the confrontation but he knew he had to face Finn head on. He sat himself at the piano and began to play Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata".

As the notes quickly filled the room, he went over the day so far, not understanding so many things. The port-a-potty ride was proof that he was doing the right thing by leaving Lima behind. He was going to make sure his friends would be ok, and then he would be gone, off to NYC. The idea of leaving all his friends and his father was heartbreaking, but then they wouldn't get caught up in all of his battles. Even though it was completely homophobic, Finn had been right. He was painting a bull's-eye on the backs of everyone he cared about and this morning was just the tip of the iceberg.

And then there was Sam. They had just met and had already proven himself to be a great friend. To do what he did was no small feat, and Kurt knew he would always be grateful. However, in the shower when he looked into the blondes eyes there was so much pain there. It was a look he had seen many times in the mirror, and he wondered what exactly had happened to Sam to put that pain there.

Sam said he knew what Kurt was going through, even though he was straight. At the time Kurt had just let it go but now he wondered, what exactly had happened to him to make him so understanding and sympathetic. After all, not even Noah would ever get in a shower stall with him despite how badass he was, no matter what the reason. Sam clearly had no problem or fear with the idea of being nude with Kurt Hummel. The entire thing had not once turned sexual in anyway and Sam thankfully knew without asking he didn't want to tell anyone to know about what had happened. Quinn was truly lucky to have found a man that was truly chivalrous.

All of the feelings of frustration, pain, and humiliation he had felt were now resounding through the room in his music. Trying to calm down Kurt just stopped thinking and concentrated on music and closed his eyes. It was good to just let the world fall away and let himself drown in the music. If it was one thing in this world he knew he would never let him down it was music. It was his mother who had originally taught him how to play the piano and sing, and he had continued to learn long after she had died. As he played the last note he let out a deep breath and let some of the tension inside of him go.

"That was awesome" Sam said from behind him.

Kurt turned and saw Sam standing behind him with Finn standing right behind him, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"Thank you Sam" Kurt said, giving the blonde a smile.

"I'll be outside if you need me" Sam declared.

Kurt gave him a silent nod and waited for the door to close before he turned his attention towards Finn. Finn crossed his arms over his chest, clearly agitated, and Kurt really couldn't care less.

"We need to talk."

"What do you have to say Kurt? You completely humiliated me in front of the whole school and now because of you Rachael won't even talk to me."

"I talked to Rachael for you. I smoothed things over for you, at least to the point where she's willing to let you explain yourself. She isn't so mad that you had sex with Santana; she's more upset that you lied to her about it. Just explain yourself as best you can and you two should be back to making honeymoon eyes at each."

"You… really did that?" Finn asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes," Kurt answered.

"Thanks Kurt" Finn said after another long silence.

"Don't thank me, I didn't do it for you" Kurt informed finally standing up from the piano bench. "I did it because despite the fact that everything I said was true, I shouldn't have said it. Least off all in front of the entire junior class in the cafeteria at lunch time."

"Kurt what is your problem?" Finn yelled.

"Look Finn, we could go on and on in circles about who's at fault here but in the end it's just not worth the aggravation."

"Fine whatever" Finn snapped.

"By now you know I invited you and your mother over for a family dinner tonight. Regardless of our problems, I want your word that while our parents are around, we will at least be civil towards each other. My father is in love with your mother, and I want them to be happy. It was stupid of me to get them together, but in the end because of it they found someone they both love and I'm not going to stand in their way anymore."

"None of this would have happened if you had just left me alone!"

"I know that! I screwed up Finn, I know. Believe me I do. But let me ask you something Finn. Did you ever once wonder why I had such a crush on you?"

Kurt watched as Finn tried to come up with an answer. Finn really was slow when it came to… well Finn was just slow. There was no other way around it.

"I thought… well I thought it was because I was the quarterback and well Quinn and the girls in school thought I was cute."

"Finn, you are so far from reality it really amazes me you can even walk and talk at the same time." Kurt declared.

Finn looked like he was ready to slug Kurt at any moment.

"My crush on you started one day when you and Noah were walking down the hall and Noah pushed me into the lockers. You reprimanded him, and in that single moment, I thought I saw something in you. Something that clearly was just a figment of my imagination. I though you were different from the rest of jocks, but your not."

"That's not true Kurt. I _am_ different." Finn said sadly

"No you're not Finn!" Kurt insisted. "You're just a homophobe like the rest of them. The only difference now, is that I can see it clearly."

"I don't care that you're gay Kurt! And none of this is even my fault! You were the one that was all over me!"

"You're right Finn I was" Kurt admitted. "But even before I ever made a move on you, you made it clear you didn't want me anywhere near you. Remember what you said to me when I tried to ask for your help getting on the football team? Before I even had a chance to ask you what I wanted, you told me you already had a date for the prom, but you were flattered since you knew how important school dances were to teen gays!" Kurt yelled.

Finn just looked down, remembering the encounter all too well.

"So like I said, whatever baggage we have stays between us and away from our parents. I'm going to be stuck with you now that I got our parents together and as long as their happy, I can live with it."

"Kurt, I'm sorry alright. None of this is easy for me."

"Yeah and it's just a walk in the park for me" Kurt said sarcastically. "Everyday I get up and have to come here where I'm constantly harassed and humiliated simply because of what I am. And I don't know where you get off thinking you can tell me who I can be friends with, and going behind my back telling Sam to stay away from me."

"Kurt, I'm just trying to look out for you! I know that whatever we have isn't normal, but I thought we were family. I… I thought we were brothers" Finn admitted sadly.

Kurt just couldn't believe how delusional and skewed Finn's view on things was. He took a deep breath to calm down and ran his hands threw his hair which he found was still slightly damp and in probable bad need of styling.

"Look out for me? How is it looking out for me, when you try to talk to Sam out of doing a duet with me, or telling me to stay away from him?"

"Kurt, I want you to stay away from Sam because I know you're only going to try and mess with him like you did to me. Sam's new here and if you start trying to get him to like you, he's going to freak out and take so much crap that he'll quit glee."

"_Too late for that since we spent the morning washing each others naked bodies" Kurt thought to himself._

"Once again your stupidity and homophobia seep to the surface Finn. I'll admit that yes Sam is very attractive, and even I wondered at his sexuality when he first joined the club. But that wasn't why I wanted to sing with him. I didn't ask Sam to be my duet partner to try and get him to go out with me. I asked him to be my duet partner in the end because… because I wanted to try and make a new friend."

"Kurt…"

"No… I don't want to hear it Finn! I'm so sick and tired of this crap and I'm not putting up with it anymore. You have no idea how lonely it is being unable to even talk to another guy because they just automatically assume I just want to get in their pants!" Kurt yelled. "Sam and I are friends now whether you like it or not. And in the extremely short amount of time that we've become friends he's proven himself to be more honorable, chivalrous, and brave than any other guy I know, including you."

"Kurt, I'm sorry" Finn stated looking remorseful, like a small child being chastised by its mother. "I was just trying to look out for you."

"No you weren't!" Kurt snapped, wanting to just slap the Finn in the face. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have let Karofsky and Azimio beat the crap out of me the other day!"

"I didn't…"

"Yes. You. Did. I saw you in the hallway. You were right behind Karofsky and Azimio cowering behind your locker. You saw them heading for Artie and you didn't do anything to stop them. You saw them attacking me and you just watched as they tried to beat me up."

Finn couldn't say anything. There was nothing he could say.

"Artie is one of us and I actually put myself on out there for him. And when they picked on Tina I stood up for her too. I know I can't beat them, I know their stronger then me but I still stood up for them. Instead of even sticking up for me or even Artie after you helped him get on the football team you still just stood there and did _nothing_, while they did this to me" Kurt said and lifted his t-shirt up showing the bruises that littered his torso.

Finn paled at the damage that was done. Kurt's abs were now a solid black from the blows he had taken today and his sides were now a mixture of bruising colors that were still healing from Wednesday mornings fight. Kurt put his shirt back down and tried to calm himself down but he just didn't care anymore.

"You actually have the gall to stand there and tell me you think of me as a brother? You have some twisted ideas of what family is. I remember when we were spending time together and you were telling me all about your father and how he died a hero in desert storm. Looking at you now, I don't understand how that man is your father. That man fought and gave his life to save this world, and you. He died so you could have a better life. And I don't mean having a house and money or any of that because in life none of those things really matter. With his last act in this world he showed you a better way of living your life Finn! That you're not supposed to give up! You don't just let things happen! You make a stand! You say 'no'! You fight for what you know is right when everyone else just runsaway!"

"I'M NOT A SOLDIER!" Finn screamed.

"IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT!" Kurt screamed right back.

Sam ran into the room at this point, having heard most of their conversation because of their yelling. Sam stepped in between the two, and pulled Kurt back, not wanting this to escalate. Kurt just nodded letting Sam no it was alright. Sam stepped aside and stood behind Kurt, refusing to leave the room again.

"I'm not a soldier either Finn, but I still managed to stand up for myself and my friends. I stood up for Artie, Tina, and even you when Karofsky and Azimio were hassling you and they told you to slushy one of us. I slushied myself for you and I asked you to think if they would have done the same for you. You can cower and hide all you want Finn but I'm not going to."

"Why? Cause you think you're better?" Finn asked.

"No you lummox, I didn't mean that! It's because I don't have a choice. Your father is a hero because he made the _choice _to fight. I never got the chance to make that choice since even before I came out; I've been bullied, humiliated, and ridiculed. But regardless of how much they put me through I refuse to let them take away my dignity."

Kurt was so fed up with this. Finn had his head too far up his own ass to even see just how wrong he was.

"All you ever do is cave in and let those guys tell you what to do even as they laugh at you and all of your friends. You're nothing but a coward Finn Hudson. I'm glad your father isn't here to see what a pathetic, worthless, coward his son grew up to be."

WHAM!

Finn's fist slammed into Kurt's face knocking Kurt down to the floor. Sam rushed forward and knelt down beside Kurt, checking to see if he was ok. Kurt just said he was fine and let Sam help him up. Finn seemed frozen, shocked at what he had done.

"Kurt… I'm"

"No, just don't Finn. I don't want to hear it anymore. This ends now. After we leave this room it's over Finn. I just want your word that you'll leave your mother and my father alone."

"If you don't want anything to do with me anymore, than why are you trying to get our parents back together?"

Kurt just stayed quite, not really wanting to give him the truth. In the end he decided to give him only part of it.

"Remember last year when I sang 'A House is Not a Home'?"

Finn just nodded, letting Kurt explain.

"Well, it's true Finn. A house is not a home, a chair still a chair. And for me a dresser is just a dresser" Kurt said, his voice begging to tremble. "When you and your mother moved in, everything changed. The broken dresser that once belong to my mom, is gone now Finn. My dad threw it out and now your mother's dresser is there instead. All the pictures that had my mother in it are now stored away in some closet except for the few I have in an album stashed away in my room. That house, stopped feeling like home to me soon after."

"_That's another reason why I'm leaving" Kurt said to himself._

"But you know, in the end, I stopped moping about it, when I saw how my dad looked at your mom. The only time I ever saw him look so happy was before my mother died. It's like something just magically woke him up one day and there was life in his eyes again. And despite the fact that I still don't feel at home anymore, I love my dad more than anything. And after everything he's sacrificed for me, I have no problem sacrificing just as much for him to be happy. I like your mom Finn. She's a good woman and she deserves to be happy too, and she's just as lonely."

"_And I need her to take care of my dad!"_

No one said anything for a while, as Kurt's partial confession had rather left both the other men speechless.

"So I want your word that all this drama ends. I leave you alone and you do the same. And when our parents are around we act civilly towards one another and play nice."

"Alright, if that's what you want Kurt." Finn agreed, looking sadder by the minute.

"None of this is about what I want Finn. If it was up to me, I'd find someway to just have your mother without having to bring you along for the ride but I can't. And my dad likes you, so having you around will be easy for him already."

"I wasn't lying Kurt."

Kurt just looked at him, not comprehending what the jock was talking about.

"When I said I liked you. I wasn't lying" Finn explained.

"Well… that's nice, but it didn't do me much good now did it?"

With that Kurt grabbed his bag and calmly walked out; Sam following with one last look towards Finn. Sam caught up to Kurt and followed him to the auditorium. Sam sat down with Kurt at the edge of the stage and both just stayed quite until Sam broke the silence.

"Kurt, I know I don't know the full story, but what you just said to Finn was like real wrong man."

"Yeah I know, but I had to say it. Finn needs to grow up, and that's not going to happen if I just let him get away with everything."

"_Especially if I'm going to leave him with my father"_

"What's really going on with you guys?"

"It's a long story" Kurt stated but not elaborating.

"Well, we still got half the day before school is up. How about we skip it and go get something to eat and come back in time for glee."

Sam's stomach seemed to agree as it made a loud growling noise, making Kurt laugh. Kurt agreed and they both took off towards a café Kurt knew was nearby. The place was nice and comfortable. It had one section with small tables and chairs in the front, and in the back there was a section with couches and big over stuffed loveseats. They were arranged so they were all around small coffee tables. As soon as they walked in they were given menus and were asked were they would like to be seated. Kurt said the back since he wanted to be as comfortable as possible. They were shown to a big brown couch and then left to look over the menu. It was in the middle of the so thankfully there was barely anyone in the café.

When the waiter came back and asked if they were ready Sam ordered the lunch special which was two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of tomato soup, and for a drink he asked for some hot chocolate. Kurt ordered the same, except he ordered a double espresso for a drink. Kurt needed some energy since the days events, from his port-a-potty ride, the shower with Sam, and the whole thing with Finn had just taken everything out of him. Plus his throbbing head from Finn's punch wasn't helping much either.

"So, how about you tell me what that was all about?" Sam asked.

"Like I said it's a long story and it's rather embarrassing."

"Kurt, this morning we were both naked together, washing shit off each others bodies. I don't think it could get any more embarrassing" Sam retorted.

Kurt couldn't help but blush at the recent event which made Sam chuckle. Conceding the point Kurt began to tell Sam everything that had happened the year before. Starting with how Finn had been one of the bullies to toss him in the dumpster and how he would just cave in to peer pressure. How he had first fallen for Finn, how Finn was tricked into believing he was the father of Quinn's baby. Finn's reactions to him and his growing homophobia, and his growing loneliness. How he tried to sabotage Finn's relationships and how he had gotten their parents together in a plot to try and grow closer to the quarterback.

He only stopped when the food arrived and they both dug in with gusto. Neither of them realized how hungry they were until the smell of the food hit them. Sam tore into his sandwiches making quick work of them and the soup. Kurt, ever mindful of his manners still ate at a much more sedated pace, savoring the delicious meal. He continued to tell Sam the full story, from his tricking Rachael into dressing like slut to get Finn's attention to Finn finally moving in with him. By the time it was over Kurt felt a little better at getting it all of his shoulders. Sam had listened quietly through the whole story, never saying word, just letting his friend vent.

"Kurt, from the way it sounds, the both of you are pretty screwed up" Sam finally chimed in.

"I know" Kurt admitted.

"What you did was really screwed up, but Finn was just as wrong. It sounds like he knew the whole time how you felt but instead of just confronting you about it he choose to just ignore you which made things worse. If he had confronted you earlier on it none or most of that would have happened."

"Maybe," Kurt replied, taking another shot of espresso.

"But, what I don't get is why you went off on him like that. I know you had good reason, but you were really mean Kurt. Finn looked like he was about cry, and even I can't blame him for slugging you after what you said about his dad."

"I know I went too far, but it's the only way you can get through Finn's thick skull most of the time. I know I screwed up bad, and I admit it and I'm really sorry, but according to Finn everything is my fault only. And now he keeps trying to tell me who to be friends with. When I asked him about Noah being in juvie he actually accused me of asking because I wanted to try and get with him. And then he tells me he was trying to look out for me."

"Kurt, I know you're saying you're angry with him, and yes you have a right to be. But to tell you the truth, looking back on that whole conversation, it sounds more like your trying to help him. I'm not that smart Kurt but even I can see that" Sam told his new friend.

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, Kurt decided to try and get to know his new friend better. He found out that Sam had never gone to a public school before. Instead he was sent to private all boys Catholic schools, until he reached high school. Despite his dyslexia he managed to just barely test into an elite all boys' prep school called Excelsior. Kurt found that Sam was actually Irish, and his family was all strict Catholics and how he actually had some family still in Ireland. He wouldn't elaborate much more than that though except that he didn't live with his mother and father anymore. They were still down in Iowa and he was now living with his uncle who was actually a major in the army. Seeing how uncomfortable Sam was getting he steered the conversation away from less personal things.

Sam loved comic books and his favorite superhero was Batman. He had fallen in love with comics when he was eight and had never stopped loving them. He also loved science fiction and Kurt laughed when he started talking in 'na'vi'. Not only that but he also loved Star Trek and Star Wars. Once again Kurt laughed when he admitted to speaking some klingon and being able to recite the klingon drinking song perfectly. Sam also loved football and a lot of sports like basketball, baseball, and wrestling. But Kurt was also surprised to find out he and Sam were both health food nuts, though for different reasons. Kurt ate healthy foods simply because it was healthy and most foods today were overly processed and non-organic. Sam ate healthy because he wanted to stay in shape for sports and he also loved to work out and usually adhered to a very strict diet. Sam actually admitted to feeling guilty sometimes for cheating and eating junk food, which sometimes made him feel like he was getting fat which made Kurt laugh all the more.

"How do you feel fat? I've seen every last inch of you, no pun intended, and you have like zero body fat."

Sam blushed deeply, but had a big smile on his face at the compliment. They continued talking with Kurt revealing more about himself to the blonde. Telling him he was German and that his family on his father's side actually came to America around the time of his great grandfather, before the war started. He spoke the German language fluently along with several others, which included French, Italian, and Spanish. Kurt also told him some about his mother. How she taught him how to play the piano originally before she died and as well as how to sing. She had also taught him how to sew and cook. From his dad he learned cars which were a secret passion of his. His father had always dreamed about building a hot rod from scratch along with Kurt, but never got around to it as his mother got sick from breast cancer and all the money he had saved for the project was used to pay her medical bills.

They continued to talk and spread out on the couches and relaxed, with the waiter bring them new drinks now and again, although Kurt switched from espresso to hot tea since he was already starting to feel the espresso run through him and he didn't need to go hyper from all the caffeine. Kurt and Sam were deeply enjoying each others company and were both very sad they had to go back to school. Sam asked if he could start being tutored this weekend and Kurt said he'd love to. He couldn't do it in the morning since he and Noah had to get him a new bed and he also planned to fix up his truck first thing before heading to Ikea. Sam said he didn't have any plans for the weekend since Quinn was going to be busy with her mom helping out at her church and his uncle was currently away on an assignment.

They decided that Sam could come over Saturday afternoon and they could just hang out and relax and sleep over. On Sunday they would start tutoring bright and early and cover all the stuff Sam was having trouble on right after breakfast. Needing to head back for to school, they both paid the bill and headed back just in time for glee. The two of them walked in together with everyone else already there.

"Kurt! What happened?" Mercedes said immediately as she saw Kurt come in with a black eye.

"Oh just an accident," Kurt quickly stated, noticing Finn look very guilty as he held Rachael's hand. "I tried to practice this triple axel flip combo and landed right on my face."

Kurt sat down next to his friend and let her fuss over him. Mercedes really was great friend to have.

"Ok," Mr. Shue said, "Does anyone have a song for their assignment?"

"Mr. Shue" Sam replied with a raise of his hand.

"You got something for us Sam?"

"Well actually" Sam began with a look towards Kurt who gave him a nod. "Kurt and I kind of prepared something for the group."

"We dissolved our duet partnership due some creative sensitivities" Kurt said, not looking in Finn's direction. "However we have resolved our issues and have made a musical selection we are both satisfied with. So if we may, Sam and I would like to give it a shot."

"By all means" Mr. Shuester said and gave them floor.

Sam went to grab the guitar and everyone watched as Kurt got up and excused Brad from the piano. Sam looked over at Kurt making sure he was ready and with a smile Kurt and Sam began to play accompanied by the rest of the choir band.

_Sam:_

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey  
She acts like summer and walks like rain  
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey  
Since the return from her stay on the moon  
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey_

_Kurt:_

_But tell me, did you sail across the sun?  
Did you make it to the Milky Way  
To see the lights all faded  
And that heaven is overrated?_

_Both:_

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?  
One without a permanent scar  
And then you missed me  
While you were looking for yourself out there?_

Kurt and Sam voices actually blended well together as they sang, and soon the entire room was looking at them in surprise. Kurt and Sam had chosen this song since this was the best one they could find that satisfied their different tastes in music and because Kurt could very easily make this voice match Sam's and the vocal range on the songs music sheet.

_Sam:_

_Now that she's back from that soul vacation  
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey  
She checks out Mozart while she does Tae-Bo  
Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey_

_Kurt:_

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
I'm afraid that she might think of me as  
Plain ol' Jane told a story about a man  
Who was too afraid to fly so he never did land_

_Both:_

_But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?  
Did you finally get the chance  
To dance along the light of day  
And head back to the Milky Way?_

_Sam:_

_And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?  
Was it everything you wanted to find?  
And then you missed me  
While you were looking for yourself out there  
_

At this point Quinn almost laughed as Sam looked up at her, understanding the reference to their encounter in the science class room.

_Sam:  
Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken  
Your best friend always sticking up for you  
Even when I know you're wrong?_

_Kurt:_

_Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance  
Five-hour phone conversation  
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?_

_Sam:_

_But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?  
Did you finally get the chance  
To dance along the light of day  
And head back toward the Milky Way?_

_Kurt:_

_But tell me, did you sail across the sun?  
Did you make it to the Milky Way  
To see the lights all faded  
And that heaven is overrated?_

_Both:_

_And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?  
One without a permanent scar  
And then you missed me  
While you were looking for yourself?_

And did you finally get the chance  
To dance along the light of day?  
And did you fall for a shooting star?  
Fall for a shooting star?  
And now you're lonely looking for yourself out there

As soon as the song finished the glee club gave them a huge applause. Sam gave Kurt a high five and a big hug which the small soprano returned.

"Now that was amazing!" Mr. Schue declared clapping them both on the shoulder.

"Why didn't you guys do that duet for the contest? That would have been hard to beat" Artie asked.

They both looked at each other before Kurt finally said:

"We just couldn't find a good song that we could both agree on, since Sam never saw 'Singing in the Rain'" Kurt joked.

"Well maybe next time we can do a song from Repo, now that I've seen that" Sam replied also laughing.

Everyone just laughed except Finn who still hadn't said a word but had clapped for the new two friends. Rachael had noticed Finn's solemn mood since the two walked in and was wondering what was wrong. The rest of glee hadn't noticed as they were still showering the duo with praise. Sam and Kurt sat back down in their seats and Quinn gave Sam a kiss while Kurt received big hug from Mercedes. Mr. Shue then asked if anyone else had a song or their assignment. Kurt looked over and saw Brittany walk forward.

"I have a song Mr. Shue."

He gave Brittany the floor and she stood in front of Artie looking very nervous and sad.

_Should have left you standing right where you stood  
Should have let you go, should have had the sense to know  
Like a train you'd come, and I'd lose my place  
Now I'm on this __trip, I took a fall from grace_

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide  
From the look of love, from the eyes of pride  
Nowhere to go, no place to run  
From the look of love, now I've come undone

By now everyone knew what had happened between the blonde and their friend in the wheel chair. Santana had pretty much made sure of that in her typical fashion. What they didn't know was how deeply her time with Artie had affected her. It really shouldn't have been so surprising considering that Artie was a really good guy. Not to mention that most of Brittany's past experiences in romance were with people who just wanted sex from her. Kurt really wasn't surprised the blonde fell for him, since Artie just wasn't the type of guy to use her and then cast her aside like tramp.

_I've had a map laid out from the day I was born  
But the roads are blocked, and the paper is worn  
And all the books I've read, and the things I know  
Never taught me to laugh, never taught to let go_

_Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide  
From the look of love, from the eyes of pride  
Nowhere to go, no place to run  
From the look of love, now I've come undone_

Artie never took his eyes off the cheerio who had broken his heart as she sang. He really didn't know what to do. She had used him and stolen his virginity, something he always dreamt about giving to someone he loved. He thought that person would be Tina but before he even knew it she had dumped him for another guy. She told him he was a bad boyfriend and yes while he could have done things better this summer, she was just as guilty as he was. Whenever he tried doing anything with her she was preoccupied with her own things and then she took off for Asian camp and never heard back from her all summer. Now, Brittany said she liked him and he didn't know if he could trust her or not.

_My conscience is clear I know right from wrong  
That's a lie I know nothing except that you're gone  
But there's more to learn from the look in your eyes  
That trip round this world, the stars in the sky_

Now all the books I've read, and the things I know  
Never taught me to live, never taught me to let go

_Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide  
From the look of love, from the eyes of pride  
Nowhere to go, no place to run  
From the look of love, now I've come undone_

Brittany was singing her heart, hoping Artie would give her another chance. She felt so guilty for what she had done, and even though everyone thought she was stupid, she was smart enough to know Artie hadn't deserved what he got. She really liked him, and like Kurt he didn't make fun of her, which made her feel real special.

_Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide  
From the look of love, Lord knows I've tried  
Nowhere to go, no place to run  
From the look of love, now I've come undone_

[Nowhere to hide]  
[No place to run]  
[Nowhere to hide]  
[No place to run]

Everyone clapped for the blonde that is except Santana, and surprisingly Tina. Artie didn't clap, but instead looked like there was a war going on inside his head. Brittany just stood there looking at him looking just as sad as before.

"Brittany, where have you been hiding that voice?" Mr. Shue asked, as the clapping died down. "I've never heard you sing like that before."

"I asked Kurt for help and he coached me" Brittany answered, still staring at Artie.

Everyone looked over at Kurt but he ignored their questioning looks as he was more interested in what was going on with the Brittany and Artie.

"Artie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know how important sex was for you. But I really like you a lot. Will you have dinner with me at 'BreadstiX' tonight?"

Artie pushed his wheel forward directly in front of Brittany.

"I'll pick you up at seven" he said and held his hand out.

Brittany smiled and took his hand and let him guide her down to his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her huge kiss. All the guys in room stood up and cheered, and Kurt even let out a whistle which got everyone laughing. The girls looked like they were about to cry from all the romance and Mercedes actually did, wiping a few tears away. Santana just sat there in her seat glaring at the couple. Tina looked at her ex-boyfriend kissing the cheerleader and looked like she was watching the twilight zone. Thankfully Santana didn't start anything, and Kurt wondered why Tina seemed so uncomfortable considering she was the one who dumped Artie. But what really started to bother Kurt was the looks Noah kept throwing his way. It looked like the halfback wanted to say something to him but what that was would be anyone's guess.

After glee was dismissed Brittany gave Kurt a big hug and a small kiss and thanked him. Artie thanked him also for helping Brittany. Kurt told him it was his pleasure to help his friends find love which got him a laugh. Sam came over and gave Artie a high five along with Noah. Mercedes asked about how Kurt had helped her out and coached her which Kurt didn't really like. Mercedes just wasn't gong to let the whole thing with the portfolio go and Kurt just didn't want to deal with it. Oblivious to Kurt's growing discomfort Brittany told them about how Kurt had coached her the night before and helped her pick a song. Artie and Mercedes were looking at him, knowing he had used some of the stuff he had written down for Brittany's vocals in his book from what Brittany had explained.

Not wanting to get too drawn in, Kurt said he had to go. Sam gave him hug goodbye, along with Mercedes, who told him she would talk to him later. Kurt just told her to call him, suddenly remembering his phone was ruined and he needed to get a new one. Noah and Kurt left and Kurt told him to drive to the grocery store since he needed to get some things for dinner before they got home. Without a word Noah drove them to the store, while still giving him a strange look. It wasn't until Kurt and Noah where walking down the aisle that he finally said anything.

"Did Karofsky and Azimio do that?" he said while pointing to his now slightly swollen eye.

"No they didn't" Kurt answered as he picked up some green bell peppers.

"I know what they did to you. The whole team was laughing about it at lunch time."

Kurt just stood there, not wanting to relieve the nightmare he went through this morning.

"I went looking for you and found the crap shack under the bleachers but you were gone."

"They grabbed me while I was on my way to meet Sam. When I never showed up, Sam managed to track me down after he found my bag and stuff thrown on the floor near the door to the parking lot. When he found me I was still trapped inside and he managed to set me free. I showered off and put on my spare clothes. Not wanting to deal with the rest of the day Sam and I ditched the rest of the school day and just came back for glee. So that's pretty much it so let's just move on."

Continuing with his task Kurt just ignored Noah as he pilled in more things he needed for home.

"You want me to beat shit out of them?"

"No, don't!" Kurt replied furiously. ""Noah, I really appreciate the thought, don't think I don't, but you can't afford to get into any trouble right now, and Karofsky and Azimio aren't worth it. And no offence Noah, but as badass as you think you are, we both know you can't take on the entire football team in fist fight."

"Hey, last time I checked revenge, fear, and the merciless infliction of pain is my territory."

"Noah, that's very wrong, yet sweet of you. But, if we started to mess with them things will get a lot worse. If you beat them up they'll just attack you and me regardless. Things for you are going to get bad enough when everyone finds out you are living with the flaming faggot of WMHS. There is no point of inviting more attention to ourselves."

"Since when do you care what people think. And I'm a stud. I go to school in drag and I'd still be badass."

Kurt laughed at his friend's bravado, knowing full well he would probably get his ass kicked if he went to school in drag.

"I'll tell you want then. Say the word and I'll dress you up like Marilyn Monroe myself and we'll see just how badass everyone else thinks you are."

Noah just snorted, insisting how badass he was. Kurt just finished up with groceries and paid for everything. He had thankfully found everything he needed for his Spicy Grilled Eggplant and pasta recipe, along with the other things he needed. The ride home was thankfully short, which meant Kurt would have more time to fix dinner. Burt was on the phone when they walked in, by the looks of it talking to Carole. Kurt hoped Finn hadn't gotten home and started more drama. He had enough of it already, today especially. Kurt went into the kitchen to put everything away and get dinner started, leaving Noah in living room with his dad.

"Kurt," his father called out as he hung up.

"Yeah dad" Kurt answered as he continued with dinner.

"I just got off the phone with Carole. Finn is bringing…"

Kurt looked up and saw his dad looking at him, or more importantly his eye. It had swollen up more since the afternoon since Kurt hadn't done anything to it. Burt took one look at it and demanded to know what had happened. Kurt quickly told him same lie about the flip as he done to Mercedes. Kurt by now was used to hiding things from everyone that it was pretty much second nature. This however didn't mean Burt was an idiot. He knew his son enough by now to know Kurt hid things, even if he didn't know what they were. His son could be as stubborn as a mule, something he inherited from both his parents. Burt accepted Kurt's story although Kurt knew he was still suspicious. His father told him Finn had invited his girlfriend along and asked if that was ok. Kurt said it wouldn't be a problem since he always made more than enough since he knew his dad had a hearty appetite, and so far it was the same for Finn, not to mention Noah from what he could see. He wondered if that was a trait all hetero men had.

Burt went upstairs to shower and change since he was still in nothing but his pajamas and bathrobe. Noah stuck around with Kurt in the kitchen and actually grabbed a spare dish towel and put some ice cubes from the freezer it and gave it to Kurt. It was surprising to see Noah doing anything considerate, let alone for him. He looked up at Noah and saw a strange look on his face, one that he would call guilt if it wasn't Noah Puckerman standing before him. Kurt thanked him but told him he needed both hands if he was going to finish dinner at a respectable time.

They talked for awhile as they were left alone in the kitchen. As Kurt continued to cook, Noah started to tell him stories about the sexual escapades he had gotten himself into. Kurt just rolled his eyes at the self proclaimed sex shark. He talked about how his pool cleaning business had opened his eyes to the M.I.L.F. population in Lima and how much fun they were compared to High school chicks. Kurt told him he thought it was actually rather pathetic that he was so bad with women his own age that he had to go for desperate housewives. This of coarse got Noah started on how he wasn't pathetic but was actually so hot that everyone of course wanted a ride on Puckasuarus. At this Kurt just made gagging noises pretending to vomit as Noah bragged about what a stud he was.

The both of them just laughed at each other, marveling at how easy it was to talk to Kurt. He was by far better at keeping up at conversation than Finn was, and how bold Kurt could really be. When he and Finn were always hanging out Finn really was a push over, but Kurt just didn't seem like he was willing to let Noah get away with anything. It really was too bad Kurt wasn't a regular guy, although he didn't really care that the soprano was gay. It was more like he wanted to see just how much trouble the two could cause, seeing as how Kurt would be way better at picking up chicks than Finn, or even most of the guys in school. He just had this confidence that matched his own, and if Kurt had been born straight they could both be knee deep in pussy like porn stars.

The two continued talking, but curved their conversation to safer venues as Burt came back down the stairs and went to the living room to watch some TV. In no time it seemed like the bell rang indicating the arrival of the Hudson's. Kurt watched as his father sprung up and went to open the door. Immediately his arms were full of Carole as they embraced and kissed each other sweetly. Kurt looked away, he was glad his dad was happy, but like any teenager, the sight of his parents doing anything even remotely sexual just grossed him out. Finn and Rachel walked in right behind them, with Rachael holding up a plate of what looked like cookies.

"Hello Mr. Hummel," Rachael greeted him warmly. "Thank you very much for inviting me to your family dinner."

"You're quite welcome" Burt told her.

"Oh, Kurt told me you were still on a diet, so I took the liberty baked some of my special kosher low fat cookies. Their made with fresh soy milk and all organic ingredients."

"Uh…"

"Thanks Rachael, just bring them in here" Kurt called out from the kitchen which made everyone look over.

Rachael's smile widen as she saw Kurt standing behind the kitchen counter fixing up what smelled like a heavenly meal with Noah sitting on a stool on the other side. Finn looked over seeing Puck also and couldn't understand what on earth he was doing here.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Finn asked looking at Puck like he was some intruder.

"Finn!" Carole admonished her son for his rudeness, already obviously having heard from Burt that Noah was staying with them.

"Noah is living here with us for the time being" Kurt answered simply.

"Why?"

"Finn, Puck's mom kicked him out so Kurt and Mr. Hummel were nice enough to take him in" Rachael explained.

"You knew!" Finn exclaimed.

"Kurt just told me this afternoon since he wanted to ask me some advice on Jewish cooking so he can cook acceptable food for Puck."

"Finn" Kurt stated simply, causing the quarterback to look back towards Kurt.

Kurt just looked at him blankly, which caused Finn to close his mouth.

"Rachael, Carole, why don't you take the men to the living room and relax. Dinner will be ready shortly and in the mean time you can relax and I'll send Noah out with some drinks. Rachael, thank you for the cookies. They will be perfect to serve along side the desert I made."

"Oh, honey let me help you" Carole said.

"Now don't worry about it. I'm almost done and I'm sure dad would appreciate your company" told her with smile.

The four of them took themselves to the living room while Kurt got out a tray and some glasses. He filled them all with some fresh iced tea he had made himself and told Noah to take them to the living room.

"Do I look like a waiter?"

"No, you look like a guy who's going to get smacked upside the head if he doesn't give me a hand" Kurt glared as he pushed the tray over to the jock.

Noah grabbed the tray mumbling 'whatever' and took it out to the living room coming right back, despite Kurt having put a glass for Noah so he could join the rest of them in the living room. Kurt soon had everything finished and set the table, calling them all to the table. Burt sat at the head of the table with Carole taking the seat on his right and Finn. Kurt sat on the other end of the rectangular table opposite his father which left Noah sitting on his left and Rachael to his right. Kurt began the family meal by serving them each a bowl of vegan carrot soup with whole grain croutons.

"Oh Kurt this is wonderful" Rachael declared as she tasted it.

"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy it. It was so difficult to make since it's so hard to find saffron in this town."

"Tell me about it. You have to really drive out of the way just find something organic. My dads and I always have to buy in bulk whenever we do our grocery shopping."

The meal continued peacefully for the most part, although Kurt kept catching Finn throwing dirty looks at Noah. That is until Carole asked about his black eye. Kurt just said the same thing as before and Finn just kept his eye on his food. Noah and Burt started discussing the football season and what teams looked good this year. Kurt was glad that they were hitting it off so far. Rachael and Kurt were discussing their cooking, inviting Carole into the conversation as she was always the one doing the cooking at home for herself and Finn. Finn it seemed was almost as bad as Kurt's father in the kitchen, although Burt at least knew better by now than to dry his shoes with a George Forman grill.

The main course was served and once again Rachael was delighted with the food. The spiced eggplant and wholegrain pasta was served along with some whole grain biscuits that Kurt had made from scratch. Kurt was happy everyone was enjoying themselves, except Finn who only seemed to talk when he was talked to directly.

"So Kurt, how did you and Sam come up with that amazing duet?" Rachael asked.

"We just found a sound that was pleasing to both of us" Kurt answered.

"It's too bad you didn't partner with him for the contest. You might have won if you sang with him like that."

"Well I'm actually glad I didn't. Winning would have been nice but if I had sung with Sam he and Quinn might not have fallen for each other which is more important" Kurt said honestly.

Sam really was a nice guy and after bonding with both Mercedes and Quinn last year, he knew she deserved a good man.

"That's true" Rachael agreed.

"Oh, speaking of which, dad, I invited Sam to sleep over Saturday, is that ok?"

"Why is Sam sleeping over here?" Finn asked clearly annoyed, which made Rachael turn to look at him.

"Sam has a bad case of dyslexia, if you remember correctly. Because of it his grades are suffering and if his grades fall any lower he will no longer be eligible to play on the football team. So I offered Sam my services as a tutor. My GPA is nearly perfect so I can safely say I can probably break down the material better for him. Saturday night we're going to just relax and have a guy's night in and Sunday we'll be spending most of the day going over the material he needs the most help in and so forth."

"That's very thoughtful of you Kurt" Carole told him with a big smile.

"Well, he's my friend and I know he'd do the same for me if the roles were reversed."

"Are you gonna go for a pair of wings next?" Noah asked sarcastically, but with a smile.

"Why? Are you hoping you can hitch a ride on me to heaven?" Kurt asked suggestively with a raised eyebrow.

Finn spit out his food while Noah broke out laughing and Rachael covered her hand with her mouth trying to stifle her own laughter. Carole had a big smile on her face; Kurt's father however really wasn't ready to see his gay son flirt with another man. Even if it was obviously just a joke. Kurt immediately regretted what he had just said as soon as he saw his father's shocked face.

"In your dreams Hummel" Noah said in between laughs.

"In believe we covered that this morning" Kurt said throwing his own sarcasm at the jock.

Noah just threw him a weak glare at the memory of Kurt dumping a cold glass of water down his crotch. The conversation thankfully turned in another direction as Kurt told his dad what had been going on at the garage. Burt was proud his son proved to be so capable of running the place in his absence. While Daniel was good at day to day stuff, Burt had always been the major share holder in the business and ran it to the success it was now. Kurt had been with him the whole time and seemed to have really picked up his father knack for it.

"I'll be heading there tomorrow morning with Noah. There are still some repairs I want to do to the truck and I need to finish some more of the paperwork for the invoices and inventory."

"Well if you need any help just ask."

"Daniel and I got everything under control dad. You are resting until you pass your stress test" Kurt reminded his father.

Carole smiled as she watched the two of them banter back forth. Even though her son and Kurt had some difficulties before, she always liked how sweet Kurt was. He clearly loved his father with all his heart and wasn't afraid to show it in everyway possible and vice versa. When everyone was done with the main course it was time for desert. Kurt asked if Rachael would like to give him hand to which she quickly agreed. A minute later they came back with trays filled with what Noah thought looked like wine cups for those gay drinks you get bars. Only instead of wine inside they had something else inside of them he saw when Kurt put one in front of him.

"What is it?" Noah asked.

"This is a matcha and fruit granola parfait." Kurt declared as he served on to his father, while Rachel served Finn and Carole theirs.

"What's matcha?"

"Well, I was looking for healthy desserts online and I came across a bunch of parfait recipes. But they were either to bland and boring or way to sweet and full of sugar. Finally I just made my own. Matcha is actually Japanese green tea ice cream. I found a recipe to make it yourself by hand and made a huge batch of it for dad. Then I took the ice cream and used it to make this parfait. Instead of the artificially sweetened granola people eat in cereal and health food bars; I got this granola that's purely organic with none of the extra artificial sweeteners. Then for a natural sweetness I added all organic fruits to the parfait, specifically blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, and bananas. The whipped cream on top is actually another recipe I found online. It's made out of soymilk and hand whipped for consistency. For some fun I asked Rachel if I could take a few of her cookies and smash them up and we sprinkled there crumbs on top."

"Kurt this looks amazing" Carole said in awe.

"She's right Kurt, we really have to get together and work on recipes. Maybe we can sell some of these in school to raise some money for the glee club since are budget was slashed so badly."

"While I admit it would be a vast improvement over the prison food we get served in school, I doubt many people our age will actually care about eating healthy. Least of all enough to get enough money for transportation."

Everyone dug in and even Noah couldn't deny it tasted amazing, even if he just admitted it to himself. Rachael was raving about it and begged Kurt for the recipe. Kurt told her he could teach her how to make it but it was in fact two separate recipes. The ice cream itself was one and the whipped cream was another. The fruits and granola you could just buy and mix them in if you found the right store. Even Burt couldn't complain at the dish his son had made, even if healthy food just wasn't his style. Finn once again stayed quite and just poked at the parfait barely even tasting it. Rachael kept glancing over at him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

When everyone was done they all went back to the living room to unwind. Except Kurt who claimed he needed to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Both Rachael and Carole offered their help which Kurt politely declined, insisting he had everything underhand. Kurt then cleaned up and when he was done he excused himself, and went down to his own room. Kurt went into his closet and took off his boots and socks and grabbed one of the ice packs he always kept in his hidden fridge. Pressing it to his eye he lay down on his bed, completely exhausted from the day's drama and events. Before he realized it he dozed off lightly until he felt someone close to him. He opened his eye and saw Finn standing over him.

"Finn, if you came here for a fight, I'd like to remind you we agreed to stop this drama in front of our parents. Which by the way you didn't do a very good job at up there."

"Kurt…"

The soprano just stayed silent for a long time looking up at quarterback from his position on the bed waiting for whatever Finn had to say, knowing he wasn't going to like it.

"Why did you invite Puck to live here?"

"Because no one else cared Finn. No one else was going to help him, and regardless of what he's done, I think he's worth taking a chance on."

"Kurt, you cant live with Puck!"

"I thought I made it clear Finn Hudson, _you _don't tell me who I can or can't socialize with."

"Kurt, I'm not talking about socia… soci… whatever that is. Puck is a bad guy Kurt. He's just going to use you and hurt you real bad."

Kurt just looked up at Finn, not knowing whether to scoff at his lack of vocabulary or to just flip him off and tell him to fuck off. Instead he just stood up and dropped his ice pack on the bed.

"Finn, what Noah did to you last year was horrible. He was supposed to be your best friend and then he steals your girlfriend's virginity and knocks her up all in one shot. I get it. But after what happened between you and me, I learned that you have to see all of a person. Especially if you're going to claim to love them. I invited Noah to live here with me and my dad, because I see something in him worth giving a second chance. And yes, he might hurt me, I knew that from the beginning, but he's not the only who can hurt me" Kurt said and pointed to his swollen black eye.

Finn looked guilty at the damage he had done to Kurt's face.

"That was different! And I'm sorry I hit you, Kurt I really am. But Puck is going to do something a lot worse to you."

"Like I said Finn, I'm willing to take that risk! And if he does hurt me, I'm not even going to be around long enough for it to have any long lasting repercussions!" Kurt yelled, suddenly realizing his slip.

"_SHIT!" Kurt screamed in his head._

Finn looked even more confused, well more confused than usual. He was saved from Finn about to ask him what he meant as Noah himself called out from the top of the stairs.

-Upstairs-

Noah could feel Finn glaring at him from across the room. He couldn't blame his former friend, after what happened last year he seriously doubted they would ever be friends again. However that isn't to say the glares didn't make him want to go over to the other side of the room and punch his face in until he broke his jaw. The only thing stopping him was Kurt oddly enough. This was his house and he was sure he would get kicked out if he started a fist fight in it. Not to mention Burt Hummel would probably come to Finn's defense, and as badass as he was he wasn't stupid enough to think he could take the man on without taking some serious damage in the process. Plus even with all the stuff he had done Burt was actually being really cool to him since he got here.

He would have just gone down stairs with Kurt and started playing his 360 but Kurt obviously wanted to just get away from everyone right now. The dude needed his space which Noah could understand. So he tried to keep talking to Burt, which still felt completely weird. In the end he just stuck to safe stuff like sports, which Burt seemed to be cool with. After another few minutes Finn got up and excused himself, heading off into the kitchen. The guy had no subtly Noah observed. As he watched him go the phone rang, which Burt answered.

"Who is this?" He said to whoever was on the other line. "Yes Artie, Kurt's in his room, let me go get him" Burt informed.

"I'll go get him" Noah said standing up quickly.

He took off only to pause at the top of the stairs listening in on the argument Kurt and Finn were having, peeking over the door frame to watch.

"Why did you invite Puck to live here?"

"Because no one else cared Finn. No one else was going to help him, and regardless of what he's done, I think he's worth taking a chance on."

"Kurt, you cant live with Puck!"

"I thought I made it clear Finn Hudson, _you _don't tell me who I can or can't socialize with."

"Kurt, I'm not talking about socia… soci… whatever that is. Puck is a bad guy Kurt. He's just going to use you and hurt you real bad."

Curiosity was the only thing keeping Noah from storming down the stairs and beating up Finn to a pulp. Along with his shock of at watching Kurt Hummel defend him.

"Finn, what Noah did to you last year was horrible. He was supposed to be your best friend and then he steals your girlfriend's virginity and knocks her up all in one shot. I get it. But after what happened between you and me, I learned that you have to see all of a person. Especially if you're going to claim to love them. I invited Noah to live here with me and my dad, because I see something in him worth giving a second chance. And yes, he might hurt me, I knew that from the beginning, but he's not the only who can hurt me" Kurt said and pointed to his swollen black eye.

"That was different! And I'm sorry I hit you, Kurt I really am. But Puck is going to do something a lot worse to you."

"_Finn gave him that black eye?" Noah thought, confused since he thought it was Azimio and__ Karofsky__ that hit him._

"Like I said Finn, I'm willing to take that risk! And if he does hurt me, I'm not even going to be around long enough for it to have any long lasting repercussions!" Kurt yelled, suddenly realizing his slip.

"Kurt!" Noah called out from the stairs and walked straight down, glaring at Finn the whole time. "Artie's on the phone upstairs."

Noah watched as Kurt looked at him, obviously wondering how much of he had heard. Although his glaring at Finn made it obvious he had heard at least most of it.

"Your dads waiting" Noah said.

"Fine, but I don't want either of you starting anything in this house" The brunette said looking at both of them.

Kurt took off upstairs, leaving them alone against his obviously better judgment. Finn and Noah just glared at each other, the animosity making them look like rabid starving dogs fighting over a bone.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt Kurt, or my family!"

"From what I just heard, you're the one who's hurting him" Noah bit back, taking a menacing step forward into Finn's personal space.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Since when do you ever know what you're talking about?" Noah laughed, mocking Fin's low intelligence. "Kurt's done more for me in three days than you ever have. And you're wrong if you think I'm going to let you wail on him. I don't roll that way!"

"No, by the way you roll; you're probably just going to get him drunk on wine coolers and take his virginity. Do you feel bad you can't knock him up too?"

With that the gauntlet was thrown.

-upstairs again-

"Artie" Kurt asked as he picked up the phone.

"Yeah, it's me. I just got back from my date with Brittany."

"That's great Artie; I hope you guys had fun."

"Yeah it was great, but… well I was hoping… could we talk?"

"Artie… well you kind of got me at really bad time right now."

"I'm sorry Kurt, I tried to call earlier but your phone just keeps saying unavailable."

"Yeah, I have to get a new phone tomorrow. I accidentally dropped mine in the toilet at school this morning" Kurt lied.

"Well, I was hoping we could talk in person anyway, would it be cool if I come over tomorrow?"

"Well, I don't know, I got stuff to do in the morning with Noah, but Sam is coming in the afternoon and he's spending the night here with us. We're kind of having a guy's night in, and Sam needs help with a bunch of school stuff so he's going to stay until late Sunday. If you want I can ask my dad if you can join us."

"Sure that'd be awesome" Artie answered.

"My dad says it's cool. So do you want us to pick you up or do you want me to just you directions to my house."

"Come and pick me up, since my parents will be using the car this weekend."

"Alright then after I get my new phone I'll call you and let you know when were on the way."

With that they said their goodbyes and Kurt took off for his room. Sadly enough he wasn't surprised by what he had found. Finn and Noah were on the ground rolling around on top of each other, taking wild body shots at each other. Thinking quickly he closed the door to muffle the sound of the fight and ran down and yelled at them to stop. Needless to say it was a pointless endeavor. Finn was now on top of Noah and gave Noah a punch to the face making his nose bleed.

"Finn stop! Get off him!" Kurt yelled.

Receiving no response except Finn's cursing at Noah. On instinct Kurt grabbed the nearest thing he could grab, which ended up being the chair for his vanity table, and hit Finn with it with all his strength. The dainty wooden chair smashed to pieces on his back, making Finn lose his grip on Noah as a shockwave of pain surged threw him from the blow making him give a silent scream. As he nearly collapsed on Noah from the blow, the halfback took his chance and drove his knee right into Finn's gut. Any chance of a counter attack was stopped as Kurt kicked him in the ribs, effectively knocking him off Noah.

"Get the fuck off him!" Kurt repeated in rage.

Finn was coughing and gasping on the floor, trying to breath and holding his side where Kurt kicked him. Noah got up and tried to go for more, but was held back by Kurt.

"I have had enough of this! Get up!" Kurt demanded.

Finn took a moment to comply, getting up slowly and wincing at the pain from his back. Kurt looked him over and saw he had no visible damage done and except for his rumpled clothing, along with the pain on his face, looked fine.

"Go up stairs and use the bathroom passed the kitchen to clean yourself up and make yourself look presentable. Then just go back to the living room and pretend like nothing happened. From now on you don't exist to me Finn Hudson. And I swear if you _ever_ come here and disrespect my home again you're going to be in a world of pain."

Looking back and forth between Kurt and Noah, Finn just turned around with a final glare at Noah and trudged up the stairs, hunching over like a troll. When he was gone Kurt dropped to his knees and let a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt Noah's hand on his shoulder and it was oddly comforting. He opened his eyes and looked at the mess that was now his room. Pieces of wood were everywhere from the broken chair, and most of his books from his shelf were scattered along the floor. Joining them were many bottles of his skin care products along a few broken bottles of perfume. He then looked up at Noah and saw all the blood running down off his nose.

"Let me take a look at that" Kurt said standing up.

"I'm fine" Noah tried shrugging him off.

"You gushing blood all over is not fine Noah" Kurt grabbed him by the elbow and practically dragged him to the bathroom.

Kurt pulled out a stainless steel stool from the corner of the bathroom and brought it over to the sink, pushing Noah to sit on it.

"Jeeze Hummel, you're not my mom or something."

"Stop whining already. Tilt your head back."

Kurt took a wash rag and started to clean Noah's face of all the blood, which was still pouring out.

"It's not broken" Kurt finally declared after examining it. "Just keep your head tilted back and it will stop in a minute or so."

Getting nothing but a grunt in reply Kurt told Noah to stay there until he came back which got him another annoyed grunt. Kurt washed his hands of Noah's blood and went back to his room. He started to pick up all the books and put them up on the shelves. He would rearrange them later. When they were up he then took all the pieces of wood and dumped them in pile by the vanity mirror, resolving to throw them out in the morning. The cosmetics and skin care were easy to put back but the broken bottles he would need a mop and a bin to throw all the broken glass in.

Leaving the glass on the floor he went back to check on Noah who still had blood running out of his nose.

"I told you to keep your head tilted back. You're just going to make it bleed more that way" Kurt snapped in frustration.

"Since when did you become a nurse?" Noah bit back angrily.

"Ever since you and the rest of the jocks started wailing on me and I was forced to learn to treat myself so my dad wouldn't find out how bad I have it outside this house" Kurt snapped as he snatched the bloody rag from Noah's hands.

Kurt ran the towel under the sink with cold water, rinsing it as much as possible and then dousing it again with cold water. He brought it back to Noah's face and cleaned him up once more. He then heard his father's voice calling him from upstairs.

"Here, press the towel to your nose and _tilt _your head back so the blood flow will stop" Kurt instructed firmly.

He left Noah in the bathroom and went upstairs; hoping Finn hadn't started anything else.

"What's up dad?" Kurt asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

"We have to get going" Carole answered. "We just wanted to say goodbye."

"Where's Puck?" Rachael asked.

"Oh, he's in the shower right now" Kurt answered easily.

"Oh, well tell him we said bye then. And thanks so much for the lovely dinner. I'll bring the cook books on Monday. I can't wait to swap recipes" Rachael said excitedly.

"I'll bring my recipe book Monday and we can look through it over lunch."

Finn had already walked out the door, not even bothering to say good night to Kurt or Burt, which Kurt didn't really care about. As long as he didn't say anything he was fine with it. Carole complimented on the food also, and Kurt said he'd be happy to teach her some of recipes since he still wanted his dad to start taking care of himself, to which Burt said he was able to already.

"Men" Kurt stated with a roll of his eyes, which caused both Rachael and Carole to laugh.

They left and Kurt went back to his room, getting the mop and a plastic bag on the way. He left the mop and bag by the vanity and went back to the bathroom, relieved Noah for once did what he was told. Kurt took the rag from his hands and pulled it away from Noah's face.

"There, see, the bleeding stopped" Kurt said triumphantly.

Once again all he received was an annoyed grunt for his trouble. Kurt rung the towel out once more and began to clean his friend's face of all the blood that had gushed out over it.

"Why didn't you tell me Finn was the one who hit you?"

"It doesn't matter, and I deserved it at the time" Kurt answered as he continued to wipe the blood away.

"You deserved him throwing you into port-a-potty and nearly drowning you in shit!"

"He didn't do that. Azimio and Karofsky did that. Finn and I had a confrontation of our own after Sam rescued me from the portable toilet. I said some things that were out of line and Finn snapped, end of story."

"What did you say that made Finn actually hit you?"

"I said some stuff about his dad being better off dead so he wouldn't have to see what coward his son grew up to be."

Noah just looked at Kurt like he grew a second head.

"So why were you and Finn brawling in my room?" Kurt asked, looking straight into Noah's eyes.

Noah looked away feeling uncomfortable under the smaller man's scrutiny.

"I told you two I didn't want you starting anything in here. I'm trying to get Carole and my father back together. So what _happened_?" Kurt demanded.

Knowing Kurt wouldn't let it go, he began explaining what happened between his former best friend and what was said.

"Well, I'm sorry to say you kind of made your bed with both Finn and Quinn, speaking metaphorically of course."

"You're actually taking _his _side?" Noah spat incredulously.

"You know that's not what I mean. Right now Finn has had a bunch of drama dumped in his lap, namely because of me. However, he also has no right in telling me or you what to do with our lives. And if you heard enough from your eavesdropping, you know I told him as much. But, even you can't deny that there's a certain truth to what he said Noah."

"What truth?" Noah yelled, pushing Kurt's hands away from his face.

"Noah, first and foremost, you've purposely built up this 'badass' reputation. So you can't really complain when people just automatically assume the worst about you." Kurt explained. "Secondly, I know you still have feelings for Quinn. I don't need Brittany to know that much. I'm betting she was also part of the reason you snapped and went kamikaze in your mother's car. Isn't it?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Noah yelled, getting right in Kurt's face.

All Kurt did was look at him with a look of sadness on his face. After a moment of silence Kurt simply put his hand on Noah's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Noah, I want to tell you something. It's something very personal and I need for you to hear me out. Since the moment I talked to you in juvie, I've been completely honest with you about everything, whether or not you liked it. So please, just let me explain something to you, without you flying of the handle. Alright?"

Noah didn't know why, but there was something in Kurt's eyes that made something inside him ache. The jock crossed his arms over his chest defensively which Kurt decided was at least some progress.

"By now you know I'm still a virgin" Kurt began waiting for some kind of response from the halfback, which he did not get. "The closest I came to losing my virginity was when I tried pretending I was straight and started going out with Brittany."

"Is this going somewhere? How the hell is your sex life or lack of it anything to do with this?" Noah yelled.

Kurt took a steadying breath, hoping he could get through Noah.

"Please, just listen to everything I have to say. I promise you this is important."

Noah just nodded for him to continue, to which Kurt did after another deep breath.

"You asked me how far I went with Brittany before, and the truth is, we got pretty far. I was so jealous of how much time my father was spending with Finn that I thought if I was straight and acted like my father he would spend time with me instead. So I tried dating Brittany, and seeing if I could be with a woman. At first it was just a lot of groping and kissing. I made sure my dad would catch us so he could see how much of a man I really was. Needless to say it didn't work. I got so angry that I just decided to go ahead and just have sex with her to prove to everyone, my dad especially, that I was straight. I…"

Kurt had never told anyone this, not even Mercedes. It was so embarrassing and so… painful he had wanted to forget that night.

"I started kissing her furiously, and before I knew it we were both naked on my bed, with Brittany giving me oral."

Noah was surprised to say the least. He didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that Kurt had gotten that far with Brittany or the fact that he was even hearing about it after Kurt refused to give up any info on it.

"But, no matter how hard I tried to force myself, I just wasn't enjoying it. In fact, it made me feel awful, regardless how well Brittany was performing with my erection."

At that Noah laughed, despite how serious Kurt was being. Kurt just let him laugh; glad some of his anger was draining away.

"Since that wasn't working I flipped her over and… and I tried going at her breasts. I started sucking, biting and licking her nipples like a wild man. Brittany started moaning and panting after a minute, and as I kept going she started screaming and moaning out my name at the top of her lungs. By then I wasn't even hard anymore, I was completely turned off. I kept going for a pretty good while, but I still couldn't feel anything good. By the time I stopped, Brittany's breasts were covered in bruises, hickeys, and bite marks and she left a huge wet spot on my silk sheets."

By now Noah was laughing like lunatic at what Kurt was telling him. Kurt didn't know at this point if he should even bother continuing. He furiously wiped at a stray tear that had escaped his left eye, deciding to just keep going.

"When I looked at her lying beneath me, I felt so empty and hallow. I knew then and there that no matter how hard I tried I would never be straight. Because before I even tried pretending I was straight, I always saw myself with another man, not a woman. I couldn't just throw away my virginity, because when I always imagined myself finally doing so I wanted it to be with someone who loved me. And I always envisioned that when I finally did find that man, we would… we would both make love to each other."

Noah finally stopped laughing, as he realized what Kurt just admitted to him.

"You mean you actually want to… top another guy?"

"Yeah I do" Kurt replied defensively. "Taking it up the ass doesn't make you any less of a man. It's not about that. I want to do both, and I want someone who will be willing to let me explore and experience all of those kinds of things with him" Kurt explained angrily.

"Alright, already! But, what the hell does any of that have to do with me?"

"My point in all of this Noah, is that to some people sex, isn't just sex. Sex to you Noah is all about you getting off. You just sleep around with whoever you want, whenever you want. For me, sex… sex is supposed to be an expression of the feelings that you have for one another. And for Quinn, she feels exactly the same."

"How would you know?"

"Remember when I told you about how she told me and Mercedes that you stole from the from the bake sale?"

"Yeah so?" Noah said, getting very impatient.

"I can't believe I'm breaking Quinn's confidence, but that isn't all she sobbingly confessed to. The only reason I'm telling you this is because you _need_ to understand why she moved on instead of trying to patch things up to be with you" Kurt told him.

"What did she tell you?" Noah asked, wanting to know why Quinn wouldn't give him a chance after Beth was born, even after he got a vasectomy.

"Noah, you were both drunk when you slept with her right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"How much do you remember, about… that night?"

"Everything!" Noah yelled. "Get to the point already!"

"You remember everything from that night, but Quinn doesn't. Almost everything passed you saying 'Trust me I got it' is nothing but a blur to her. The only thing she can remember clearly is a shit load of pain as you broke her hymen, and more pain as you just jack hammered yourself into her. Her first time and she can barely remember any of it other than how you made her feel horrible Noah. You took something precious from her that she can never get back. You made her feel like she was just some random whore, like everyone else you have sex with!"

"That's not true! I told her it wasn't just another hook up for me!"

"There a big difference between saying and doing Noah." Kurt kept trying to explain. "Yes you told her it wasn't just some random hook up, but then as soon as you were done you just picked up clothes and left! Then when she found out she was pregnant you told her you would take care of her and the baby. When she finally gave you a chance to prove you meant it, you spend most of the night sexting with Santana! Then you told her that a man has 'needs' and you just kept sleeping around with Santana, not to mention most of the cheerios and most of the middle aged women in Lima. By the time Beth was finally born you had her heart so messed up that she couldn't even trust herself or you. That's why she gave Beth up Noah! She couldn't trust you to be there for her and she didn't want to put Beth through that either."

When Kurt finished explained it to Noah neither spoke a single word. Kurt just kept silent, as he watched Noah clearly go through every single moment he spent with Quinn in his own head.

"If that's how she felt, why didn't she just tell me?"

"She tried to. But whenever she did you wouldn't really listen to her."

"I told her how felt about her. After she gave Beth away, I tried to make things right between us. I did everything I could but she said she didn't want to be with me"

"Noah, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but Quinn never had any romantic feelings for you. When she found out she was with child, she tried to give you chance, even though she knew if you both got together and tried to be a family it would ruin all of your lives. But you completely blew any chance you ever had with Quinn Fabray. I don't know if you ever had any real feelings for her. I'm not going to presume to know what's in your head and least of all your heart since you've rarely even showed that to anyone. But if you do care about Quinn, just let her go. Sam managed to get her to open back up, and he's treating her the way she always wanted a guy to treat her."

"So that's it then? I just sit back and watch her be happy with some other guy."

"No, you let her move on with her life, and you move on with yours. The best you can ever hope to be with her is her friend. And you're already walking a fine line at that. You have to start growing up Noah. I think we all do."

Once again neither said anything for a good while.

"I know this must be hard for you. But Sam is coming over tomorrow and Artie as well, since I invited him to spend time with us. Why don't you take the opportunity and try being their friend. Artie is really cool, and he loves to play Halo and stuff. And I know that if you just give Sam a chance you and him could hit it off. The three of you are on the football team now so you should at least be able to find some common ground."

"Kurt, I'm not really down with this whole togetherness crap."

"I'm not expecting you to give them both hugs and kisses and start singing corny summer camp songs. I just want you to try and just have some fun and relax. Haven't you ever just tried hanging out with the guys or something?"

"Kind of, back when I and Finn were friends, but that always ended up in disaster."

When Kurt asked him to explain, Noah told him about the few times he would drag Finn out to bars to cruise for women. Kurt just scoffed at their stupidity.

"We won't be cruising for chicks. Sam already has Quinn and Artie now has Brittany. And I'm gay. Besides, even though I already have a fake ID I doubt Artie or Sam have one."

"Since when did you have a fake ID?" Noah laughed.

"How do you think I bought the liquor I have stashed in my closet? I got my fake ID after April left and I had to get my own booze."

They both just laughed, finally getting letting go of all of the emotional tension that had built up.

"Maybe after things calm down we can get Artie and Sam ID's and we can go out for the night. Maybe play pool or something and just forget about Finn and everyone else that's making our lives a pain. I'm not trying to change who you are Noah, I just want you to try and actually _be_ who you are. It's like I told Finn, I think there's something worth while in you. And even Quinn must have seen that if she was willing to give you a chance in the first place. Why else would you offer to beat up the football team for hurting me?" Kurt smiled.

Noah just rolled his eyes at Kurt, which got him a laugh from the soprano.

"Look, why don't you take a shower while I clean up the rest of the mess you two made and then turn in. We got an early day tomorrow and were both exhausted. Plus I'll need all the strength I can get if I want to finish the rest of the repairs on your truck."

"Sounds good to me" Noah said with a shrug.

Kurt left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Then he got to work cleaning up the last of the mess on the floor, careful not to cut himself on the glass. Afterwards he just mopped up the rest and put the mop away upstairs. Kurt started to reorganize his books until Noah came out of the bathroom, and noticed the bruises on his sides. Kurt gave him some of the cream he had used the day before, then grabbed his sweatpants and oversized shirt he used to sleep in and went to the bathroom to take a hot bath before he turned in himself.

-End chapter-

Songs used in chapter:

Train – Drops of Jupiter

Madonna – The Look of Love

First and foremost I want to thank all of those who reviewed. Your kind words and constructive criticism keep pushing me forward. To tell you all the truth I'm not happy with the way this chapter came out. I wrote the entire thing with a huge case of writers block and had to stop and go back to either add or subtract stuff to try and make it all fit as well draw on the show itself for some inspiration. For those of you who think I went too far with the port-a-potty idea, I'd like to remind you that the football team tried to do it to Artie but Finn saved him. This time they just did it to Kurt instead in revenge for what happened in the previous chapters. And for those of you who kept asking, yes this is going to be a KurtXPuck story. Then as far as Finn goes, I personally don't know how I'm going to go with him; it's all up in the air for the moment. Like I said before I don't really have any idea of what's going to happen until I write it. But I did warn you guys last chapter that things were going to get worse on the Finn front. If anyone has any thoughts on the issue, once again please let me know.

Also about the unedited chapters, I've decided to post them on . As soon as I remake an account on the site I'll let you all know. Beyond that I wanted to ask all of you for your opinion on something. As you might have guessed from my previous chapter, I put in a Rocky Horror sub plot into Kurt's portfolio. I decided to put it in after I heard they were gong to do a Rocky episode for Halloween. Sadly enough, I was very disappointed in the episode. So since I was planning to put it into my story, I've decided to start a poll. I want to know who you want to play Frankenfutter. Your choices are, either, keeping it Mercedes Jones, or Mike Chang, or Kurt Hummel. I'm kind of leaning towards making Kurt to do it, but if any one can convince me otherwise before I write the Halloween chapter which is still a ways off I'll choose one of the other two.

Finally, I would like you all to forgive my horrible grammar. Spell check sucks and no matter how many times I go over it manually I still keep missing lots of errors. And so I'm putting the word out for a beta reader. If anyone is interested, let me know. Any help I get would be a godsend.


	5. Just the Guys and Secrets Revealed

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Just the Guys and Secrets Revealed

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: LaLa Tink

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany

Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin chapter-

Noah was awoken by the smell of Kurt's delicious cook, which caused his stomach to rumble. Groggily getting up from the couch he stumbled to the bathroom. Minutes later he was fully awake and in the kitchen watching Kurt as he sang to himself while making breakfast. Kurt heard him coming up the stairs but just kept singing. Noah sat himself at the counter and just watched the soprano made breakfast.

_And I'll be seeing you_

_In every lovely summer's day_

_And everything that's bright and gay_

_I'll always think you that way_

_I'll find you in the morning sun_

_And when the night is new_

_I'll be looking at moon_

_But I'll be seeing you_

Noah laughed at the 'bright and gay' part which earned him a smirk from the brunette. It was actually rather strange to hear Kurt sing lately. All of last year, every time he sang a song he sounded like a total chick. Now he sounded like a man for once. He was still blatantly gay and feminine like always, but then he would do a 180 and act like one of the guys. Watching him cook breakfast right now rather proved his point.

At the moment Kurt's voice was much deeper than when he usually sang yet it seemed perfectly natural, and every bit as good as before. Then while most of the times his clothing was so flamboyantly gay, to the point he looked like he was a cross dresser, he would then switch to clothes that were for men. Right now once again was an illustration of the contradiction. Kurt was wearing a white t-shirt with the words _'ain't no lovin, like the kind I got'_ on it. He was wearing a pair of regular blue jeans, not those skinny leg ones, and a pair of black boots. On his left wrist he wore a simple black leather wrist cuff and his hair didn't have any of those hair sprays or products he usually used on it. All though, he still moved and walked like he was on a runway, even while he was flipping pancakes.

"You could have at least put some clothes on." Kurt told him as looked over his shoulder towards Noah seeing he was wearing nothing but his underwear.

"You should be thanking me for giving you a free show" Noah replied.

"If you were charging I'd want my money back" Kurt retorted.

"Oh please, I know I'm hot, and you know it too."

"You may be good looking Noah, I can admit that, but that doesn't mean I'm going to fawn all over you. I've learned by now that looks aren't everything."

Noah just smiled at the smaller man and flexed his guns. Kurt just ignored him and went turned his attention back to the stove.

"We have to get going soon. I let you sleep in late since its Saturday but we have to be at the garage in half an hour."

"Let's just ditch the garage. I told you my truck is perfect."

"And I told you, its not" Kurt insisted. "I don't know how that truck is still running, let alone how you're still alive. Before I repaired it Thursday your truck was a death trap on wheels. The engine it self looked like it hadn't been serviced in years. Not to mention all your tires were bald. It was amazing they all didn't blow out causing you to have an accident."

"You already took care of that, so why are we going to waste our time with more of this crap?"

"It's not crap!" Kurt bit out in frustration. "I only did the easy stuff since I didn't have time to completely repair everything. Your transmission fluid is leaking, the tires need to be realigned, and I plan to double check the breaks. Not to mention I proved I was right in the first place after I tuned up and fixed the engine. So stop complaining already!"

"Fine Hummel! Take a chill pill already."

Noah watched as Kurt just shook his head and went back to cooking. He didn't get what the big deal was. As far as he was concerned his truck was fine as is, no matter what Kurt said. Although, it was running a lot smoother since Thursday, so he guessed it wouldn't hurt to just go along with the repairs. Kurt really seemed to be stuck on the whole idea anyway and at least it seemed like he knew what he was doing.

"So where's your dad?"

"He left a half hour ago. He said he was heading over to Carole's place."

"You think Finn said something?"

"I don't know, and to be honest I don't care at this point. This time it's not my fault Finn went off, so if he wants to start something he's the one who's going to be in the hot seat. As far as I'm concerned Finn can go to hell for all I care" Kurt replied, surprising Noah.

Last year it was like Finn walked on water according to Kurt, since it was obvious to everyone in glee he had a crush on the quarterback. Now it was like Finn was a cockroach. Noah knew they had some kind of falling out or something last year when they were doing that theatrical assignment for glee, but he thought the two made up.

"Dad said he wouldn't be back until tonight by dinner so we'll have the house to ourselves until then."

"Does that mean we can break out that liquor you have stashed in your closet?" Noah asked with smile.

"Don't count on it" Kurt said well naturedly. "Here, eat up, we got a long day ahead of us."

Noah looked at the plate; Kurt had served him a small stack of whole wheat blueberry pancakes with a slice of cantaloupe. On the side he was given toast and a single hard boiled egg and Kurt gave him some fresh squeezed orange juice.

"Where did you learn to cook this stuff?"

"My mom taught me to cook when I was little. After she died I just kept teaching myself to cook more and more things. Plus I didn't want my dad to try to cook since he's hopeless in the kitchen. After a really bad case of food poisoning I refused to let him cook anything for us and took over the kitchen."

"It's too bad you weren't born a chick," Noah said with a mouth full of pancakes. "You'd make an awesome wife."

Kurt didn't know if he should take what Noah said as a compliment or as an insult.

"I was born a guy Noah, and despite all evidence to the contrary, I like being a guy" Kurt stated simply.

The jock didn't understand the sudden change in Kurt's demeanor. Shrugging it off he just continue to eat his breakfast.

"When you're done put the plate in the sink. I'm going to empty the truck of all the pool cleaning stuff."

"What for? Just leave my stuff where it is, I got a pool to clean tomorrow."

"We're going to need the space for the bed and your truck is already packed with the pool cleaning stuff. I'll put it all in the garage so you can just put it back when were done. So get dressed and come out to the garage to help me out when you're done."

Kurt washed his hands and went outside leaving Noah alone to finish his meal. Noah finished eating and then got dressed. He found Kurt by his truck carrying out his equipment into the garage. For a moment he just looked at his new friend, noticing he looked rather upset.

"Man what's up with you" Noah asked as he walked up to Kurt who was grabbing some bottles of chemicals from his truck.

"Just forget about it, you wouldn't understand" Kurt said as he turned around walked back into the garage.

"Understand what?"

"Noah," Kurt said as he put the bottles down and turned to face his friend. "I know you were just trying to give me a compliment but, I'm kinda sick of everyone thinking of me as a woman."

"Last time I checked you put yourself with the chicks."

"I put myself there because; yes I'm more comfortable with them, and for the most part I have more in common with them. But the reason for that is because you guys are so uncomfortable around me. Even when we had to do that mash-up assignment you guys just ignored everything I said."

"Dude, all of your suggestions were totally gay! There's no way in hell I was gonna wear a bunch of feathers and crap."

"Ok, first, I _am_ gay! Secondly as I was trying to explain to you all, I knew Rachael was going to bring it just to show us up. My idea for going so over the top was because I knew we had to be so much more theatrical to beat her. Instead we all just took drugs and ended up in a tie."

"So what?"

"Look, my point is, that regardless of how I dress or act, at the end of the day I'm a guy. I may be gay but I'm still a man. I'm sick of everyone thinking of me as woman. I'm not going to get some operation after high school; or god knows what else. Amazingly enough the only guy I know who isn't disgusted or even uncomfortable by the fact that I'm gay is Sam. And we only just officially met like two weeks ago!"

"Calm down man!" Noah interrupted.

"I'm sorry," Kurt answered. "I'm just so sick of all this crap. Today was supposed to be us having some much needed fun and here I am ruining it from the start. Let's just forget about everything for the day, take care of everything we need to do and then get Artie and Sam."

"Now you're talking!" Noah said. "But you're wrong about one thing dude."

"Don't call me dude."

"Whatever" Noah laughed. "It's not just Sam who doesn't care about you being gay. Whatever you do with your dick is your business."

"Thanks Noah" Kurt laughed. "Come on, left finish this and get going. After we're done with the garage we got to get me a new cell phone."

"Why?"

Kurt pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag out of his pocket that contained his ruined cell phone.

"After the ride in the port-a-potty my phone is now dead. So now I got to get a new one. Hopefully my contacts are still salvageable."

"You sure you don't want me to kick their asses for you?"

"Aw, that's so sweet of you" Kurt joked while batting his eyelashes.

"Don't push it Hummel!" Noah smirked.

"What can I say, I push it good" Kurt gave Noah a wink.

They both just laughed and finished unloading the truck. When they were done they piled in and headed off to the garage. Daniel and the rest of the mechanics greeted the two and Kurt was in his overalls in an instant. He got Daniel to work on the truck while he took care of the administrative stuff, along with the clerical work in his dad's office. Noah once again watched him, still not really understand the huge contradiction that was Kurt. In the end it just came down to what Kurt had told him. He was a guy, plain and simple.

When Kurt was done he and Daniel worked together on the truck with the speedy efficiency that came from years of practice. As it turned out Kurt put in an order for a new transmission the previous time they were here and was now installing it. Along with repairing the suspension and a bunch of other stuff that Noah just didn't get. It took about two hours for them to finish but Kurt just had a big smile on his face the whole time. Afterwards, Kurt just made sure everything else at the shop was on schedule and they were done. However, Kurt refused to give Noah the keys; instead he just got into the drivers seat himself, much to Noah's protest.

"Trust me" was all Kurt would say

Noah grudgingly got into the passenger side of the car, and Kurt took off down the road. In five minutes Kurt drove the truck into a car wash.

"Why are we here?"

"I thought that would be obvious" Kurt replied as he got out of the truck.

Noah just sighed and followed Kurt inside. Kurt paid the old man behind the counter to clean both the interior and exterior of the truck and gave him the keys. Thankfully it was only noon and there weren't many cars in line to be washed. While Kurt waited he just put on his headphones, listening to some music while looking through a car magazine. Noah was already bored out of his mind and started looking through the car wash bins of tapes they had for sale.

"_Does anyone ever buy this shit? Noah wondered as he looked through all the tapes on sale._

"Here you go" the old man called out and threw Kurt the keys.

Kurt caught the keys deftly in his left and thanked the man, motioning for Noah to follow him. The truck was now sitting in the parking area, cleaned and detailed from the inside out.

"That's so much better isn't baby?" Kurt sweetly as he stroked the hood of the car.

"Want me to leave you two alone?" Noah said strangely as he watched Kurt cooing over his truck.

"Hey, a car is like fine lady. Treat her right she'll always be at your side" Kurt replied with a snap of his fingers.

Noah just laughed at the soprano and snatched his keys back from Kurt's hands. Kurt just got into the passenger side and told Noah to go to the Sprint store next. During the ride over, Noah couldn't help but notice how much better the car was running, and that Kurt had them put in a lemon scented air freshener. All the trash that was previously inside the car was now gone and the upholstery was cleaned and vacuumed to look brand new. His car had simply never been better, and Kurt had paid for everything out of his own pocket. Again he just couldn't figure Kurt out. Ever since his deadbeat dad left he was always on his own, his mom not being much help in anything. And now all of the sudden Kurt Hummel comes along and just starts to break him down, with absolutely no fear.

Kurt just sat with his earphones playing music in is ears, looking out the window as the world continued to pass by; unaware of his friend's train of thought. The Sprint store thankfully didn't take long either. Kurt was smart enough to get insurance on his phone when he got it the first time. Even more of a miracle however was that they were able to restore his contacts with the memory card from his old phone. Kurt paid for the difference left to pay after the insurance took care of the rest. He sent Sam and Artie a text message to see if they both wanted to come over. Then he sent another to Mercedes saying he would call her later tonight when he was able to.

Ikea was another thing all together. Kurt wanted to get Noah a full size bed so he would be more comfortable but Noah kept telling him a twin size was more than enough. They finally agreed to get a twin size bed but Kurt refused to just a simple generic one.

"I am never letting one of those hideous things enter my bedroom. We will buy something that matches my décor." Kurt repeated over and over again at Noah's complaints.

Kurt looked through the catalogs and the stuff on display noting the different styles available. It took awhile but he narrowed it down to three different choices.

"Noah, come here for a sec" Kurt demanded as he held up three color samples.

"What is it?" Noah asked, getting very annoyed.

Instead of answering Kurt just held up the samples and started looking back forth between them and Noah.

"What are you doing?" Noah snapped, drawing attention from the other customers.

"Stop whining already" Kurt said simply, ignoring the looks they were getting. "I'm trying to pick a color that matches my décor but also goes well with your own natural skin tone."

Noah looked at him hoping Kurt was joking but of it was obvious he wasn't.

"I was right, none of these are any good, damn it!" Kurt said looking for more samples.

"Are you kidding me?" Noah yelled. "All we need to get is a bed not something for a magazine shoot. Just pick something and let's get out of here already."

"I will pick something out, but I am not going to get some monstrosity that will completely ruin the function of my, or rather I should say our bedroom."

If Noah had any hair on his head he would have ripped it out in frustration. Although if it were Finn or any other guy doing this he would have just slugged them already. Since Kurt couldn't find a color that matched Kurt finally chose obsidian to match the coach. To Noah the color was just another fancy name for black. Since the twin bed cost so much less Kurt asked if the had any privacy partitions. He looked through what they had and was lucky enough to find a larger one than he had found before. It was completely white with a black frame which would thankfully match his room.

"Ok, now we have to find the right mattress."

"What does it matter? Just pick one and let's go already!"

"A mattress is the most important part of a bed. You should choose what's most comfortable for you."

"Dude the only time I care about a mattress is whether or not it can hold up to the punishment I put it through when I'm banging a chick into it."

"Well don't count on doing that with this one. I don't want to come home and walk in on you having sexual relations our room" Kurt told him rather snottily.

"You should be so lucky to see me in action. You might actually learn something."

"Ha! Oh please Noah, you can't be so egotistical to actually believe _you're _man enough to have anything to teach me" Kurt laughed.

"You're the virgin here Hummel" Noah laughed right back. "I've had more pussy than all the guys in school, hell maybe even all of Lima."

"That only means you bring quantity to the table. You sleep with any woman who will give it up, and from what I've heard I am betting you always ended up doing them the same way. And after everything I revealed to you last night you still don't get what I mean" Kurt informed the jock. "After my… embarrassing fiasco with Brittany she and I became friends. After I mustered up the courage I asked her to show me things. And I even looked up and taught myself some other things specifically designed to please men" Kurt said now stepping forwards into Noah's personal space. "In the end I could probably teach you more ways to enjoy sex than you ever knew, because while you just go for quantity, I'll hold out for quality."

"You are so full of it!" Noah laughed in Kurt's face. "You're all talk Hummel. What on earth could you possibly have to teach a sex stud like me?"

"You really want an answer to that question?" Kurt said stepping even closer Noah, their bodies almost touching.

"Hit me with your best shot Hummel! If you even have one."

Kurt wrapped his left arm around the halfback's waist and cupped the jocks ear, whispering softly so that only he would hear. At first Noah just smirked at Kurt's stupidity and bravado. The thirty something year old female attendant behind them was watching the whole thing, along with a small crowd that they had attracted with their lewd conversation. As she watched she saw Noah's face go from amused to… strangely blank. His eyes just seemed to glass over at whatever the smaller boy was saying to him. Finally Kurt had finished his descriptive sexual tirade, leaving Noah completely red. From embarrassment or pure rage Kurt didn't know, but the look on his face was hilarious.

"And like I told Finn in the cafeteria, I'd need a real man" Kurt finished, and then turned around to the attendant to ask her to show him some hampers.

She told him to follow her, smiling the whole time.

"Oh, and Noah" Kurt turned back around; "feel free to try any of the mattress until I get back."

Noah watched Kurt calmly walk away, completely enraged. He turned his head and saw some people looking at him. With a glare he scared most of them away. He then took a deep breath, his mind full of sexual imagery that Kurt had placed. But it wasn't until then that he noticed his condition.

"_What the fuck! Did Kurt just give me a fucking hard on?"_

-Next Scene-

Kurt was carrying the privacy screen down the stairs while Noah carried down the bed frame. He was grateful once again that his room was so large. It wouldn't be a problem fitting in Noah's bed. It would take up a bunch of his dance space but he still had more than enough room. Kurt put the privacy partition up against the wall and then went outside to get the hamper and a screw driver from the garage. They both brought in the mattress, with Kurt noticing Noah still looked ticked off.

Since the whole thing by the mattresses Noah had barely spoken more than five words to him. He could admit to the fact that once again putting the larger man in his place gave him a large amount of… satisfaction. But perhaps he shouldn't have gone so far. The things he had told Noah about what he would do to the jock if they were in bed together were very… intense. He told Noah the truth about what he had asked Brittany to teach him and the stuff he taught himself to do. It was actually a sobering thought though that he could deliver on every single thing he had said.

Even though he was a virgin he hadn't been merely boasting about what he could do. From what he heard from Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and many other cheerios who had had sex with Noah it was easy enough to picture what he would be like in the bedroom. Yes sex with him was usually mind blowing but over all he always heard the same thing. Noah Puckerman liked it hard and fast like a jackhammer and he loved to drive his huge dick in as far as it could go with each thrust. When he had explored his sexuality further he had tried many things on himself to really see first hand what it would be like. Besides finding out he had a bit of a naughty side, he began to truly appreciate what his own body could be capable of, and how truly intimate it would be to share something like that with another.

When he told Noah what he would do to him he was quite astute and wasn't surprised to see the enraged look his friends face. Especially since he had made Noah the bottom in the scenario he had concocted on the spot. However what did surprise him was what he felt against his leg as he held Noah during his boosting. Never in his wildest fantasies had ever imagined that he would give Noah 'Puck' Puckerman an erection. The very notion caused him pause. Perhaps he had just imagined it, a side effect of his own active imagination. The vibrating in his right pocket brought him out of his thoughts.

"Where have you been Kurt?" Mercedes voice boomed out from the cell.

"I've been having some trouble with my phone and I just got a new one."

"We still need to talk" she said.

"Yeah I know Mercedes. I've just been busy and things have been going kind of crazy right now for me. Right now I'm busy with Noah, and then when were done here we are going to pick up Sam and Artie."

"Noah?" she asked, not believing she heard her friend correctly.

"Hold on a sec" Kurt said and pressed the hold button.

He looked over at Noah who had been next to him the entire time, putting the bed frame together.

"Noah, I have to ask you something important."

"What is it?"

"Sam and Quinn know you're living here with me, and now Rachael and Finn know. I don't know how much longer we can keep this on the down low. Are you going be ok with people knowing you live here?"

"You can tell whoever you want" Noah replied not bothering to look at Kurt.

"You know that's not what I mean. When people find out your living with the resident fag of WMHS you're going to get a lot of crap. It's going to come out eventually, but how long do you want that to be?"

"Who cares if they know I live here with you? I told you I'm a badass, and anyone who gives me a problem is going to feel nothing put pain for a long time."

Kurt just sighed and pressed the hold button again.

"Mercedes?"

"Boy, what the hell is going on?"

"Well to put it simply, Noah is living here with me now, and once we are done taking care of some stuff, he and I are going to get Sam and Artie to hang out. So my weekend is kind of full."

"Since when does Puck live with you, and since when do you call him Noah?"

"Since he got out of juvie, and Noah is his name if I recall correctly."

"Oh I know your not tryin to get smart with me" Mercedes snapped at him over.

"Mercedes, you know I love you, but please just stop trying to push me ok. I am so fed up of everyone trying to push me around; I don't need it from my best friend."

"Boo you know I love you too, but you know you can't just keep side steppin' me, or this."

"Look how about this; Monday at lunchtime you, me, and Artie get together in the A/V room and the three of us can discuss this. No more avoiding or anything. But I have to let you know right now, I won't be able to tell you everything."

"Why not Kurt? You know you can tell me anything" Mercedes said sincerely and a bit hurt.

"I know I can but, this isn't about that."

"Then what is it about Kurt? You start acting out and avoiding us and then you all but bitched slapped Finn with that show in the cafeteria, not to mention that song you sang at him. Then that book and DVD you never showed us. I'm worried about you."

"I know, but I'm fine, so you don't have to worry so much. And I'll try to explain some of it but like I said, I won't be able to tell you everything. You'll just have to respect that" Kurt said firmly.

With a few more words exchanged they said goodbye and Kurt tried to suppress the disappointment within himself. Mercedes had been nothing but kind to him since day one. They had shared so much last year and if it wasn't for her he would still be trying to hide who he is. But he just couldn't tell her this. After all what was he going to tell her; _'hey Mercedes, I'm going to use the book I made and the DVD to get out of Lima and never see you or anyone here ever again'_. It was just better if he kept everyone in the dark for as long as possible. In the mean time he would just try to help out his friends as best he could.

He then looked down at Noah, and saw him still putting together the bed frame, still clearly mad at him. He probably had pushed his friend too far. Kurt bent down and put his hands over Noah's stopping him from working on the bed frame. Noah looked over at Kurt, giving him a rather mean look. Kurt by now wasn't intimidated by the dreaded Puckzilla. He was a bit sad however that he had made his friend so upset.

"Noah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all of that or embarrassed you."

Noah just turned back to his work, completely ignoring the soprano. Kurt just let out a deep breath and snatched the screw driver away from his hands.

"Please talk to me Noah. I'm trying to apologize."

"It's cool alright," Noah said as he tried to grab the screwdriver back.

"Then why are you still glaring daggers at me?" Kurt said simply letting Noah take the screwdriver back.

Noah just kept going, ignore Kurt.

"Is it really that much of a blow to your pride? I'm sorry alright! I went too far and I'm sorry."

With a deep breath Noah faced Kurt.

"Was it true?"

Kurt looked at him clearly not understanding what was being asked.

"The stuff that you heard about me or the stuff you said you could do."

Kurt looked down at the jock not really knowing if he should answer the loaded question, but once again he decided to just be straight up and sat down on the floor facing him.

"It's like I said before, I'm pretty much an honorary girl at school. Because of this I hear so much stuff from women that most guys either would kill to know or would kill not to know."

"So what do the girls say about me?" Noah asked looking very intrigued.

"Well Santana is the most vocal about your sexual escapades together. A lot of the cheerios also compare notes about you when Santana's not around as due a lot of other girls you've had sex with. Sadly enough I know more than I ever wanted to know about you sexually as well as quite a few other people at our school."

"Now I know you're full of it. What would you know about me in the bedroom? No matter what you say you heard, I always leave chicks satisfied."

"You are still not getting it" Kurt laughed. "I didn't say they weren't satisfied. I said I know more than I ever wanted to know about you sexually. But as far as satisfaction goes no one has complained about you in the bedroom. Except Quinn of course." Kurt quickly corrected himself.

"And what exactly have you heard from the chicks about Puckzilla?" Noah pressed, wanting to see if Kurt really knew anything about him in that area.

"Like I said, more than I ever wanted to know about you."

".Specific."

"Ok fine, if you really want to know then here goes. According to Santana and a few other more descriptively vocal girls, your dick is eleven inches long and thick with a perfect set of balls to match it. You're circumcised of course since you're Jewish. You also trim your pubic hair but you don't shave it supposedly. Is that accurate enough?"

Noah looked like he had been punched in the gut as Kurt just sat there looking at the jock seriously. Kurt had just described his dick perfectly as if he was giving a police description.

"How the fuck… you…"

"Look Noah, you got to understand something. Because I'm gay and I am the way I am I'm constantly with the girls instead of the guys. And what women never really want to admit is that they can be just as perverted and objectifying as any man. Hell, Santana herself actually has a picture of your dick on her cell phone, or so she says it's yours."

"Wait a sec, your telling me Santana has been advertising my junk?"

"Oh boy…" Kurt said really not wanting to get into details of this. "Remember when you started dating Mercedes to reestablish your reputation last year?"

"Yeah."

"Well they fought about you during cheerios practice and Santana just had to establish herself as top bitch and pulled out the picture then and there when Coach Sylvester got called to the principal's office and showed it off. She wasn't really advertising as much as declaring you her bitch, and telling Mercedes and anyone else in the cheerios that you were her toy and no one else could have a piece. Thankfully when she pulled out the photo and showed it off like a trophy I was on the opposite side of the line so I was spared the sight of your genitals."

"Puckzilla is no ones bitch!" Noah shouted angrily.

"Tell that to Santana then. She pretty much told everyone she had ownership of you. She told all of us, especially Mercedes, how she just _allows _you to have some fun on the side so you can see how no one can stack up to her and that's why you always come crawling back to her on your hands and knees."

"That fucking bitch!" Noah yelled, enraged at Santana's audacity.

"Hey, don't kill the messenger. I'm just telling you the truth. You asked me to tell you what I heard and there you have it. Not to mention it's your own fault. During the whole fiasco with Mercedes, Santana showed you how she was marking you as her territory and you just sat there and did nothing."

"What about everything else you said then?"

"What about it?"

"You just said you know how big my dick is."

"What's your point?" Kurt said as he crossed his arms defensively.

"If you knew the whole time how big my dick is, why did you say you would deep throat me until I screamed out your name or any of that other stuff?"

"Are you asking me why I said it or if I can actually deliver on everything I claimed to you?"

A looked passed between them before Kurt finally answered.

"Yes, I can do everything I said I would do to you in bed."

"Bullshit!" Noah insisted although with a smile. "This" Noah said as he fondled his crotch, "even Santana can't handle. The only ones who have ever deep throated me were a cougar and Brittany. And even they could barely take me half way. You really think you can take all of this all the way down and then make me scream out your name at the top of my lungs?"

"Noah, I'm man enough to admit when I can or can't do something. Brittany was the one who taught me to do it originally along with other things. But I took it even further and practiced until I could handle it without gagging" Kurt informed. "And why exactly are you so interested in what I can do sexually? Last time I checked pussy was your sole interest" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Don't get your hopes up Hummel. You're the one who decided to put your shit out in the open."

"Uh huh, well it seems to be the one thing that can get you to halt your pathetic male posturing. It's not my fault you can dish it out but can't take it."

They both shared a laugh which Kurt was grateful for.

"I still don't believe you can take me, even you say you can make me pop like a bottle of warm champagne and drain my balls dry with just your mouth until I pass out. Or any of the other stuff you said."

"You can believe whatever you want Noah. If you remember what I said before about the type of guy I want to be with, you're not my type. So you'll never find out for yourself what I can, can't, or won't do."

"Fine by me" Noah declared with a smirk.

Kurt let Noah get back to the bed frame and texted Artie. Artie gave Kurt his address and told him he was ready whenever Kurt showed up. He then texted Sam asking him the same. Sam said he was running a bit behind on some stuff he needed to do but that Kurt could come over since he was almost done.

"Alright Artie is ready and Sam is just about ready himself. How about you pick up Artie and I get Sam?"

"How are you gonna pick up Sam if I got the truck?"

"I still got dads car since Carole came to pick him up herself. I can go get Sam while you get Artie and meet up at Path Mart to get a bunch of snacks and stuff for the night. Plus since dad isn't here I can make something non-vegan for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan then."

With a plan made out and the bed finished Kurt put up the privacy partition in between his and Noah's bed. Then he put the black hamper next to his matching white one in the bathroom. After that Kurt pulled out two extra pillows, sheets, pillow cases and so forth. In a few moments Noah's bed was fully made in a matching set of dark blue sheets and so forth, looking pristine and comfortable. Satisfied that everything was done they each went there separate ways. Kurt gave Noah Artie's address and then took off towards Sam's.

-Next Scene-

It took Noah awhile to find the place. But once he did he knew he had the right place since it was the only house he saw that had a ramp. He rang the door bell not having to wait long for an answer. The look of shock was clear on Artie's face as he saw Puck standing on his porch.

"Puck?"

"You ready?" Noah said, although not waiting for an answer as he disabled the break on Artie's wheelchair and began to push him down the porches ramp.

"Puck… look… here," Artie stammered out, fishing out his wallet. "You don't have to roll me into traffic. Here's twenty bucks" Artie pulled out a twenty from his wallet and held it up.

"Chill out wheels" Noah said as he stopped pushing Artie's chair and snatched up the bill, shoving it in his pockets. "Kurt sent me to pick you up."

"What? Why would Kurt send you to pick me up?"

"He went to pick up Sam. We got to head Path Mart to meet up with them to get some snacks and stuff for the night."

"You're going to hang out with us?"

"Yeah so let's get going."

"But why would you hang out with us?"

"Hey you should be grateful I'm even bothering with you. You might actually learn some of my trade secrets. If people see us hanging together they'll think your cool like me."

"So you're saying you want to be like… friends?"

"Whoa slow down man! I never said anything about _actually _liking you. Now come on let's get going. I want to beat Kurt to Path Mart."

"Why?" Artie asked, still clearly confused.

"I want to score some free stuff and your wheelchair is awesome for hiding and stealing things."

-Next Scene-

Kurt pulled up to a very lovely looking house, with two small flags hoisted atop opposite ends of the porch. One being the ever familiar American flag, while the other was the flag of Ireland, or so Kurt surmised. The front yard was spacious and had its lawn recently cut and tended to by the looks of it. Kurt rang the bell, not expecting the loud barking that began instantly when he did so. Moments later the barking was silenced and the door opened revealing Sam. His friend seemed to have just gotten out of the shower as he was dressed solely in a pair of jeans and an undershirt, drying his hair with a towel.

"Hey Kurt" Sam welcomed his friend with a smile. "Come on in."

Returning the smile Kurt walked in and immediately saw the large dog that had caused the barking.

"Kurt this is Fenrir, Fenrir, say hello to my friend Kurt."

The large dog calmly came forward and gave Kurt his paw. Kurt bent down and shook it, letting the dog sniff him.

"At least he seems friendly" Kurt laughed as Fenrir licked his face.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe he's a war dog" Sam replied.

"War dog?"

"Yeah, you see my uncle got Fenrir from a dog breeder in Ireland three years ago when he was just a newborn puppy. The owner was going to kill the whole litter, but my uncle got him to change his mind and took them all."

"Why would the breeder kill off the whole litter? Wouldn't that be a huge amount of money to lose?"

"Well you see Fenrir here isn't a pure bred dog" Sam explained.

"But what does that matter? I'm sure plenty people would still be willing to buy them."

"Well the problem is that Fenrir here and the rest of the litter of coarse are half Siberian husky and half wolf."

"Wolf?"

"Yup. Apparently one of the breeder's females got loose in the woods for a few days. When she had her litter they were rather shocked to see they were half wolf. That's why the whole litter was going to be destroyed but my uncle who is friends with the breeder talked him into giving him all of the dogs."

"He adopted all of them?" Kurt asked unbelieving that someone was that kind hearted.

"Yeah, he adopted all seven of them" Sam smiled as he bent down and scratched behind Fenrir's ears.

"So where are the other six then?"

"Well my uncle decided to put all of them to good use and had them all trained as military dogs. The rest of the six are still with the army, adopted by other officers and so forth and a few still in the field. Fenrir was personally adopted by my uncle."

"Your uncle sounds like a good man."

"He is" Sam agreed.

"When is your uncle due back from his mission?"

"He should be back by the end of the month. He rarely ever takes active missions anymore but he's always working almost non-stop all year. Most of the time however he's training soldiers though since he says he's seen too much combat to want to be in the field anymore. But since he is always working, he never really uses the house anymore. During the holidays and parts of the summer he comes back to keep the house in order. Then he takes off traveling, mostly just to visit family and ends up staying in Ireland for most of August."

"What does he train soldiers in?"

"He trains soldiers in advance martial arts and combat techniques. After he got the litter he also started working with the special K-9 unit. He said he found it rewarding and challenging since military dogs need different training than other dogs."

"Like what?"

"Well, regular dogs just get the standard obedience training. With military dogs you also have to train them for specific tasks. For example you have to teach them how to sniff out bombs and mines. Then there is scout and sentry training, and the list kind of goes on."

"Wow" Kurt said amazed.

"Come on, I still got to get my stuff together and finish getting dressed."

Kurt followed Sam upstairs to his bedroom, taking in the house as he went. The place was clean as a whistle and everything in its proper place. If Sam wasn't here Kurt would have easily believed that no one was currently living in the house as there were no obvious signs of habitation. Even in a clean home there were signs of people living in the residence, but here everything was meticulously in its proper place and looked undisturbed. Kurt walked into Sam's bedroom and noticed his room was kept just as neat. Fenrir jumped onto Sam's bed and lay himself down, making a small whining noise.

"Don't worry I'll be back tomorrow, I promise" Sam told the dog. "Sorry, he gets really sad when he knows he's going to be left alone."

"Aren't you afraid to leave him alone? I heard before dogs don't like being left alone and that the get very destructive when they do."

"Normally yes, but Fenrir is a very intelligent dog, plus he's too well trained to behave like that."

Kurt sat down on the bed and began scratching behind Fenrir's ears, which the dog happily enjoyed if his tail wagging was anything to go by.

"I'm sorry I'm not ready yet. I had a ton of laundry to do and then I had my morning work out and then went jogging with Fenrir."

"It's ok, I had a busy day so far myself" Kurt replied.

"Oh, before I forget" Sam said quickly as he opened up a drawer. "Here," Sam gave Kurt a pair of socks and underwear, the ones from yesterday. "I washed them with my laundry so there clean.

Kurt couldn't help but blush as he took his undergarments, remembering how the man before him came into their possession.

"Thanks, although to be honest with you I forgot all about these."

"Well it would be kinda awkward to keep another guys underwear" Sam explained.

"True" Kurt agreed and they both smiled at each other. "Can… can I tell you something without freaking you out?"

"No problem man. We've seen each other completely nude and scrubbed shit off each other bodies. I doubt you can tell me anything that can freak me out."

They both laughed well naturedly, with Kurt once again feeling a great surge of gratitude for his newest friend.

"Well, needless to say that wasn't how I dreamt my first shower with another man would be like" Kurt admitted.

"I'm sorry Kurt. I swear if I had known…"

"I know… it wasn't your fault Sam" Kurt interrupted. "And you probably ended up saving my life. I can't thank you enough."

"I know I'm not that smart Kurt, but even I can see those guys aren't going to leave you alone. Why don't you report them or something?"

Kurt looked solemnly away from Sam, looking down at Fenrir who had rested his head on Kurt's lap.

"Sam, I know what you're saying but… no one really cares. I've know what I was since I was five. I adapted. Being different made me stronger… even if it makes me lonelier. All the teachers at the school are quick to just let homophobia slide, no matter how bad it gets. I complained about it freshman year when I was still in the closet, and they didn't really do anything. The principal doesn't care, the teachers don't care, the students don't care…"

"I care Kurt!" Sam put in.

"I know you do Sam, and I'm grateful. But this is a hill I have to climb on my own."

"_And it won't matter if I'm long gone."_

"Kurt… if you ever… if you need me for anything just call me ok? You don't have to go through this alone."

"Thanks Sam, that really means more to me than I can ever tell you. I have to admit something though. After… everything that's happened and then seeing you naked I must admit to being thoroughly envious."

Sam looked as if he was doing a beet impression by the color on his face.

"I don't know why you're jealous of me. I mean… you got an awesome body like I do from all the exercise and gymnastics you do" Sam told the soprano, making him blush deeply in turn.

"I didn't mean I was jealous of your body. I meant I was jealous of Quinn."

"Why would you be jealous of Quinn?" Sam asked, very confused.

"Well, if I believed in reincarnation I would say I must have done something very bad in my previous life. I mean here I am getting rescued by… well a guy who's not only drop dead gorgeous but actually seems to have a heart to match his good looks. Quinn is really lucky."

Sam thanked Kurt for what he said, but told him that Kurt would find a boyfriend for himself soon enough. Kurt just nodded, obviously not believing the sentiment.

-Next Scene-

Once Sam had gotten everything he needed which included a few movies, some video games since Kurt only used his PS3 as a blu-ray player, and asking Kurt what books he needed to bring they took off. Sam let Fenrir out into the back yard and left him plenty of food and water and said goodbye, getting another sad whine from the K-9. Sam told him to guard the house which got him a loud bark in response which made the both of them laugh. Sam wasn't kidding when he said Fenrir was smart, and the way Fenrir responded was as if he was a human soldier. Whatever training they had given him in the army must have been damn good. Kurt had never really been a dog person. He had never wanted one as a kid, but he didn't mind animals either. Some of them could be damn cute he had to admit. Fenrir seemed to fall into that category.

By the time Kurt and Sam got to Path Mart they found Noah and Artie already there. Kurt however wasn't too happy with Noah when he found out he was trying to use Artie and his wheelchair to shoplift. Artie obviously wasn't down for it but he didn't have the courage to stand up to Noah. This however wasn't a problem for Kurt. Keeping his voice down he firmly told Noah that they were going to pay for everything and reminded him that if they got caught shoplifting he would be sent back to juvie. Noah reluctantly agreed almost looking remorseful. They each got everything they wanted for snacks, which ranged from bags of different flavored potato chips, a bag of veggie chips for Sam and Kurt to share, some sodas and so forth. But while they were shopping Kurt got a call from his dad.

Apparently Burt wasn't coming home and was instead spending the night at Carole's place. While worried his dad was going to cheat on his diet and told him as much, Kurt was actually glad to have the night off from babysitting his dad. Plus ever since the blow up with Finn last year his dad hadn't spent that much time with Carole. It was a good sign if his dad was already spending the night at her place. Kurt told the guys they would have the house to themselves for the night which they were all happy to hear.

"Since your dad's gone, how about we break out the liquor you got stashed in your room and have a real party?"

"Noah getting wasted isn't my idea of a party" Kurt responded with a roll of his eyes. "Besides I doubt Sam or Artie could handle hard liquor."

"Dude you got liquor?" Artie asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I got bunch of liquor bottles in my…"

"Wait a sec, I thought you had only a bottle of tequila" Noah cut in.

"I have _a _bottle of tequila yes. The only reason you found it is because I like to drink it cold and so I keep it in my mini fridge with the ice packs. The rest of my liquor I keep stashed away so my dad will never find it" Kurt explained.

Noah looked like he had just hit pay dirt, while Artie looked shocked that Kurt had liquor at all, let alone a whole cache of it hidden away. Sam looked completely indifferent, obviously not caring about the prospects of alcohol.

"Hell yeah!" Noah exclaimed. "We are definitely going to have some fun tonight. What different kinds you got?"

"Slow down, I never said I was going to let you guys get wasted at my place. The last thing I need is to wake up in the morning only to find all of you half naked on my bedroom floor lying in a pool of your own vomit."

"Calm down Kurt" Noah snorted. "I've drunk plenty of beer and wine coolers and stuff before. I can handle it. Besides you've already seen me in nothing but my underwear" Noah winked.

"Yeah although now I'm wondering if you're just going to use the alcohol to muster up the courage to try and get taste of what I said this morning" Kurt smirked.

"You wish" Noah laughed. "I know you can't handle a stud like me."

"From the way I see it, you're the one who wouldn't be able to handle me" Kurt laughed as he gave Noah a friendly punch on the arm.

The pair continued to laugh, Sam watching the exchange with a smile on his face, and Artie looking at the pair like they were aliens in disguise from the movie 'They Live'.

"Look, if it will sweeten the pot, I'll even make sure I pass out nude and give you a good show in the morning."

"Noah, you lying naked in a pool of vomit is a good show only for you."

They both laughed again, for once each of them enjoying the sexual banter between them.

"Uh guys," Sam piped up. "I don't really care about the booze one way another. I've had beer and wine and so on before so it wont hurt me any. How about you Artie?"

"I've never actually had anything besides some wine on thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with my family, but I wouldn't mind trying it" Artie answered with excitement.

"Ok, I'll break out my liquor but only if we agree to some ground rules" Kurt said firmly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Noah smirked.

"I'll let you guys drink, but only if you stop before you go too far, and only if you wait for me to make dinner. I can make some drinks to go along with dinner and afterwards you guys can have some beer."

"Make us drinks?" Noah asked. "You don't mean does weak drinks gay guys drink like appletinis and shit do you?"

"No, although I like those too I had other drinks in mind. If you can handle what I make then we'll see about upgrading you to something… harder" Kurt smiled in Noah's face.

"Bring it on Hummel," Noah chuckled.

With that they got the last of everything they needed and headed back to Kurt's house. As soon as they got there they made a beeline straight for Kurt's room. Noah carried Artie down while Kurt folded up Artie's chair and brought that down. Sam brought in all the bags of snacks and drinks. Artie was put on the couch and Kurt left his chair next to it so Artie could get himself into it if he needed it. Sam asked if it was ok to take off his shoes, since as it turned out he hated wearing shoes at all, which Kurt thought was funny. He could stand to wear them for normal everyday stuff, but as soon as he got home he would take them off along with his socks and walk barefoot. Noah said since they weren't going anywhere he was going to get comfortable which ended up with him taking off his own shoes and socks, as well as his shirt. He laid himself on the coach obviously showing off his body which made Kurt roll his eyes.

"Get over it Kurt, my body was made to adored" Noah teased.

"You may be good looking but you're not the only guy I've seen with a good body. And why on earth did you ever get that hideous nipple ring for?" Kurt laughed as he walked up to Noah.

"Dude you don't know what you're talking about. This nipple ring is a fucking turn on for chicks. Especially the M.I.L.F.'s I service. They love to watch me clean their pools shirtless and just stare at it. One time this cougar couldn't take it and just started at me while she served her husband breakfast. As soon as he left for work I fucked her right on the kitchen table" Noah proclaimed proudly. "If you guys want I can take you to the guy that did mine. You got to pay a little extra since you guys aren't eighteen but as long as you keep your mouth shut about him giving you the piercing."

"My parents would kill me if I ever go home with a nipple ring" Artie announced with Sam quickly agreeing.

"What about you Kurt? You would look great with a pair of barbells" Noah said as he reached up ghosted his thumbs over Kurt's nipples through his shirt.

Kurt immediately felt a shiver run through his body and slapped both of Noah's hands away.

"I will never desecrate my beautiful body that way Noah Puckerman" Kurt stated flatly.

"Don't be a punk Kurt. Once you get pierced we can go out clubbing and dance with our shirts open. Bitches will be swarming all over us before the night is done. We'll be knee deep in so much pussy you could knit yourself a wool sweater to go with those clothes you wear."

It took all of Kurt's self control not to vomit at the image Noah painted just now.

"I've had enough of women already and I am never going down that road again. And once again I am _never_ going to get my nipples pierced."

"It's your loss man. It's awesome going to clubs, especially during the summer. The college chicks are all over the place, and most of them are in the bi-curious experimenting phase. Two bitches going at it while you watch live front and center and then joining in, fucking their brains out right in the bathroom stall as their screams mix with the music. I'm telling you guys, you don't know what you're missing" Noah finished with a wink and an obscene grunt.

"Ok so what do you guys want to do first?" Kurt asked, trying to change the topic before he did vomit.

Sam and Artie however, not being grossed out by the idea of women looked very intrigued but thankfully Kurt's changing of the topic brought them back to their senses.

"How about some video games? I got one of my favorites and it's a four player."

"What did you bring?" Artie asked.

"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion" Sam proclaimed.

"Sweet!" Artie exclaimed. "We are definitely playing that first."

With that they all sat down grabbed their snacks and popped in the game, while Kurt grabbed some Sam Adams beer from his stash, along with some Mike's Hard cherry flavored lemonade to put in the fridge upstairs for later. Kurt once again had never really played video games before. He didn't have anything against them at all; it was more to the fact that he had always been more interested in doing active things. The only reason he even had the PS3 was because after his dad took away his car the year before. In its place he had given Kurt a PS3 with all the accessories to go along with it as a conciliation gift for his 16th birthday instead. Needless to say Kurt would rather have kept the car.

Sam explained the game to Kurt, as Kurt had no idea what the game even was obviously. Kurt quickly realized why this game was a favorite of Sam's since he explained it was all about comic book heroes. The soprano quickly picked up the game however and was soon helping the others stay alive in the game. Artie had picked the Green Goblin to play as, while Noah had picked Venom. Sam had picked Thor and after looking through the entire roster of characters he picked the one that he thought had the cutest outfit: Iron Fist, which made Sam laugh.

"It figures you'd choose Iron Fist" Sam joked.

"Why is that?" Kurt asked.

"Well you picked the best martial artist in the roster. And you are the ninja Kurt. Only Iron Fist fights with his hands and not Japanese sai like you do."

This of coarse drew Artie's attention and Sam ended up explaining about Kurt's sai. Artie asked if he could see him use them and Kurt just told him maybe after the game. They continued playing for a long time. Noah ended up changing his character to Deadpool, and Artie switched to Captain America. Kurt had to admit the game was a lot fun, even though for the most part he hung back and used his powers to heal the group more than actually fight. Before Kurt knew it though he said he had to go and cook dinner and excused himself. Artie however asked if he could show him the sai Sam had told him about. Kurt just shrugged and went to the closet, coming back out with a sai in each hand.

After a quick search on his ipod Kurt played the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk on his stereo and began doing a gymnastic routine. The song was easy to dance to since it had a very simple beat. Kurt spun the sai all during the routine. As the song continued his moves got more and more complicated doing a lot of flips and jumps across the room. As the song ended Kurt ran up the far wall of his room and did a triple back flip, finally landing in a perfect side split. The sight was impressive if a bit painful to watch. After all seeing a guy get that low to the ground while splitting his legs that far apart was painful.

"Dude that was amazing!" Artie declared. "Why the hell do you let the football guys beat you up and throw you in the dumpster if you can do all that?"

"Artie, none of that was martial arts. It was all just rhythmic gymnastics. I could never take on the jocks in a fight."

"But the way you moved when they were trying to beat you up the other day…"

"Just dance moves" Kurt continued. "That's all I really did. I was just dancing around them avoiding getting hit. And the only reason that worked was because I was just fast enough to dodge everything."

"You know, if you're interested you could ask my uncle for some training. He told me that once he gets back from this mission he put in for a leave of absence so I won't be alone all year round. Years ago he was going to open up his own martial arts school with a partner he knew from the army that also lives here. But… well let's just say things changed and he returned to active duty. Now that I'm living with him he's thinking of contacting his partner again and seeing if they can go into business together. My uncle said he was going to start training me when he got back. I can ask him if you want to join us."

"No thanks Sam. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested but I get my ass kicked enough at school to pay someone else to do it" Kurt just shrugged.

"What martial arts is your uncle going to teach you?" Artie asked Sam.

"Well to be honest I'm not sure. I know he's a 3rd or 4th degree black belt in karate, but I think he's the same level in kickboxing and jujitsu. I haven't met the other guy yet but my uncle Dean said he knows completely different fighting styles."

"Wow" Artie said.

"Kurt, you should really think about joining us. It would help in dealing with Karofsky and Azimio. If anyone deserves to have their asses kicked it's those two. Plus if you don't want to fight, you could always ask my uncles partner. He supposedly knows some kind of French discipline that's like gymnastics or something. I can't remember the name though. It would be perfect for you since you already do gymnastics" Sam encouraged.

"I don't know Sam… I mean I always loved kung fu movies and martial arts films but I never really imagined being able to do any of it. The only reason I have the sai is because they were my favorite weapons out of all the ones I've seen. And I learned gymnastics so I could do more than just sing in the cheerios, that way coach Sue won't have any ammo to use against me when I'm performing with them."

"Just think about it Kurt. My uncle won't be back until the month is over since he promised me he would be back in time for my birthday. I'll talk to him and when you two meet he can answer all of your questions. It's the least I could do since you're going to be helping me out so much with school."

Kurt said he would consider it since it at least sounded interesting. He then put his sai away and told them he was going upstairs to get dinner started for them.

"Why don't we eat down here?" Noah chimed in. "we don't need anything fancy and we can start watching movies while we eat."

Kurt agreed as long as they didn't make a mess on his couch and so forth. Artie asked if he could go upstairs with him and talk so Kurt carried him upstairs and sat him down at the kitchen table. Kurt had plenty of ingredients left over from yesterday's dinner so he decided to just make the same thing again, minus the dessert since they had plenty of junk food down stairs.

"Uh Kurt" Artie awkwardly began. "I just wanted to thank you. You know… for everything."

"It's no problem Artie. To be honest I did it just as much for Brittany as I did for you."

"Well, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked sensing the bit of despair in Artie's voice.

"Well the thing is that, the date I had last night with Brittany was great. I haven't had that much with since…" Artie trailed off.

"Tina" Kurt stated simply.

"Yeah."

"Look Artie, I'm sorry about how badly Tina and you ended but you got to try to move on. Brittany is so into you, more than Tina ever was. I know it's not easy but you got a great opportunity right now and you shouldn't waste it."

"I know Kurt, but… it would be so much easier to move on if Tina… if she just told me why I was such a bad boyfriend."

"Is that what she told you?"

"She told me I was a bad boyfriend and just kept ignoring her all summer and that she and Mike are into more of the same things, like his abs."

Kurt sighed and stopped preparing the food and sat next to Artie at the table.

"Artie… it sounds like what you're really looking for is some kind of closure."

"Yeah, I mean if Tina wasn't happy with me, how do I know Brittany won't get bored of me soon? And I… don't have abs like Mike does. I joined the football team and it's awesome but I still don't look anything like the ripped guys on the team."

"Artie, you have to understand Tina and Brittany are two completely different women. From what Tina told you she pretty much just brushed you off. The truth is that no matter what you would have done this summer it wouldn't have made a difference. Tina really liked you yes, but after awhile she just got bored. Tina, despite what she claims is very high maintenance. She wants a guy to take her out all of the time to different places and do the whole romance and wine and dine thing and always do something new."

"You think so?"

"I know so Artie. I told all of you guys before; I'm pretty much an honorary girl so I'm always hearing all their business. And as far as your body goes, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a factor with Tina. No matter what we tell ourselves, the first thing anyone notices about whoever they are attracted to is looks. But the fact that you don't have abs wasn't the main reason for the break up."

Artie looked down at his stomach solemnly, wishing he could look like the other football players.

"Artie, do you know why Brittany fell for you so badly after only spending a week with you during the duet contest?"

Artie just shrugged not knowing why Brittany even started to give him the time of day.

"She fell for you, because you didn't treat her like the other guys do. You never made fun of her like everyone else does. I know everyone thinks she's dumb but she isn't Artie. Brittany just never lost her innocence like the rest of us do when we stop believing in Santa Clause and stuff like that. She's bi-sexual and she doesn't even realize that. She sees the world in such a different way from us that it's easy for people to think she's stupid or even retarded. Yet because of her seeing things differently she sees a lot of things we all miss. But regardless of all that it still hurts her feelings when people call her stupid. And Santana just used her for sex and made her feel even worse about her herself. She didn't know sex was supposed to mean anything until you taught her that."

Kurt stopped and let everything he said sink in. Artie really needed to understand where he stood if he was going to move on from Tina. Not to mention have a better chance at making things work with Brittany, especially with the trouble he knew they were going to head into soon.

"You really think Brittany likes me that much?"

"Artie when I offered to help her with the song she was crying her eyes out over you, sitting in the dark in the back of the auditorium. So what do you think?"

"But Kurt, what if she gets bored of me or my body like Tina did?"

"Artie that's not going to happen" Kurt reassured Artie.

"_Especially since she seems to love your foot long."_

"Look, if you still feel self-conscious about your body, I can help you with that."

"How?" Artie asked, not believing Kurt could really help considering how small he was.

In answer Kurt pulled out his chair and placed it front and center in front of Artie. Using his perfect balance Kurt grabbed the back of the chair and did a perfect handstand on top of the chair. Artie's jaw dropped as he watched Kurt in action. To further drive his message home Kurt took one of his hands and put it behind his back carefully, now doing a one handed handstand off the chair. With a spring Kurt flipped himself off the chair landing squarely on his feet behind the chair. With a deep breath Kurt took off his shirt.

"See," Kurt said as he flexed his muscles a bit. "Since I started doing gymnastics I've spent all summer working out like crazy and dieting."

"Kurt what happened to you?" Artie asked as he saw the bruises on Kurt's body.

"I told you I'm not a fighter. Wednesday morning I was lucky enough to get away with just these" Kurt shrugged, trying to make it sound less than what it really was. "But anyway, I got this muscle through working out and dieting. Sam is even more defined and bulkier and he works out and diets a bit more than I do. How about the three of us get together and work out? I can write up a diet for you and show you how to eat to build more muscle and so forth. With me and Sam helping you, you'll look like a model by Halloween. I'm sure Sam will be more than happy to have some work out partners just as committed as he is. And maybe we can even get Noah to join us. How about it?"

Artie agreed immediately, clearly excited at the prospect of looking that amazing. But Kurt flat out told him it was going to be a lot of hard work and he had to follow the diet he would write out for him. And that he would only help him out if he was completely serious and committed to it. Even though it sounded like fun it was going to really push his body to the limits. They would start off easy a bit at first to show him how to do the exercises properly but once he got used to it they would increase it continuously as his body adjusted to the workouts. He would talk to Sam about it and Artie should take at least tomorrow to think about. On Monday he could tell them what he had decided. Artie said he would think about it but that he really wanted to do it.

They continued to talk as Kurt went back to cooking. Artie told Kurt about his date with Brittany and then asked about Puck. Kurt told him that Puck was now living with him due to his mother kicking him out of the house. It was surprising for Artie to hear that the soprano would actually open his home to the bully who used to throw him into the dumpster almost everyday. He just told Artie that he didn't hold a grudge against the halfback and that they were supposed to be a team. When Artie tried to bring up his portfolio he told him about the conversation he had with Mercedes and that they would talk about it on Monday. Leaving it at that they continued to talk about other things until Kurt was done cooking.

Kurt brought Artie back down and then went back upstairs to get the food. Once they were served the food Noah asked about the drinks to which Kurt told him to have some patience and gave him a wink. He went back upstairs and brought down with him a carton of orange juice, a bag of ice and four highball glasses. Noah made joke about wanting something stronger than orange juice and Kurt just said to be careful what he wished for. Next Kurt went to his closet, emerging with his arms full of several bottles of liquor and two of those stainless steel cups used by bartenders to mix drinks with. Kurt sat himself at the opposite end of the table, facing all three of the men on the coach.

"Ok, are you guys all sure you ant to do this?" Kurt asked.

"Cut the theatrics Kurt, either deliver what you promised or chicken out" Noah told the soprano.

With a shrug Kurt grabbed two of the bottles and twirled them in his hands like he had with the sai and gave them another show. Within moments he had mixed them all drinks like a bartender from 'Coyote Ugly' and place their drinks on coasters on the table. They all looked rather shocked and Kurt just gave them a wink and a laugh at their shocked expression and told them to drink up. They all grabbed their glasses but no one drank the red drink he had mixed them.

"What is this?" Noah asked.

"It's a drink I like very much. It's called 'The Red Devil'. Now are you going to drink it or not, cause I can always just go upstairs and get you a glass of milk if that's more your speed."

Noah just scoffed and took a long pull from the drink, making Kurt laugh as he sputtered a bit. Kurt had made his in particular a bit harder than the others.

"Pussy" Kurt laughed which made Noah throw a cushion at him.

"What's in this," Sam asked.

"Vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and so forth" Kurt explained. "Try it and see if you like it. Sip it at first with the straw to get used to the alcohol in it instead of just taking a long pull like Noah did."

Sam and Artie took a taste and although they coughed a bit the taste of the drinks were amazing.

"This is great" Noah said, as the others agreed with him. "Where did you learn to make drinks like this?"

"Back when April Rhodes was in glee. She taught me how to mix drinks and do the whole bartending thing. It's really no different from cooking so I picked it up really quick. Since I practice so much with my sai, it was even easier to learn how to do the tricks with the bottles."

"Sweet!" Artie replied.

They all began to dig in and Kurt asked what movie they wanted to see first. Sam immediately got up and brought his bag over. He took out some movies he had brought with him, and let the guys look through them. Kurt thought they should each take turns picking a movie since he had a decent collection. Sam would go first, and then Artie, Noah, and Kurt would go last. Sam picked Star Trek 2009 as their first movie. Kurt put it in and they all sat back and tucked in as the movie began to play. The movie Kurt found was actually very good, although he got a laugh when he said Zachary Quinto was hot. Noah of course kept making dirty jokes about Uhura, and they all just had fun and finished their meals. Sam was glad they enjoyed the movie and afterwards it was Artie's turn.

Kurt brought Artie to his collection in his wheel chair, letting Artie look through it and pick something. Artie was ecstatic at Kurt's movie collection and hard trouble just picking one to watch. Finally he decided to keep the laughter going and chose The Hangover. Kurt put it in and once again they all laughed and enjoyed the picture. At the end of the movie Kurt commented that they never explained where the chicken came from which made them all laugh even more. By the end they had all finished their food and had taken a second refill on their drinks. Kurt told them they were cut off since that much hard liquor would make them sick in the morning but said they could switch to the beers and lemonade he had put in the fridge. Kurt told Noah to pick a movie while he went upstairs to put the plates in the dishwasher and get them the rest of their drinks.

By the time Kurt came back Noah chose one of Kurt's old kung fu movies, The 36th Chambers of Shaolin. They each chose a drink, with Artie and Kurt taking lemonades and Sam and Noah taking the beers. The movie was put in and they each grabbed some snacks and watched the film. Kurt had some fun explaining to them some of the trivia from the film, like how the star of the movie was a famous actor and had actually appeared twice in the Kill Bill movies. Noah asked why the swastika symbol appeared on some of the statues in the temple. Kurt explained how the swastika actually was a symbol of good fortune, blessings, life and so forth. Also he explained how Hitler had used the symbol and completely perverted its meaning. But that if you ever went to china and many other Asian countries you would still see the symbol on many Buddhist and even Hindu statues. Artie said he really loved the action and would love to see Kurt doing some of those moves. Kurt told him he had no idea how to use a three section staff and that he would probably end up bashing his head open with it. Noah and Sam also enjoyed the movie and Sam once again said he should really consider learning a martial arts. Kurt shrugged and said he would ask his uncle about it, but that he could never really see himself being a fighter.

When it was finally Kurt's turn he told Noah to go upstairs for the rest of the beer and lemonade that was left upstairs. Kurt picked the movie Kick-Ass since it had both action and comedy and wanted to keep the good mood going. When Noah came they all took their last drinks, with Artie taking the beer along with Kurt, leaving the last two lemonades for Sam and Noah. The movie was great once again and Sam loved how they had all given themselves such horrible names. Noah just laughed at Kick-Ass for pretending to be gay to get pussy. Artie couldn't help but laugh at how terrible Kick-Ass looked in the wet suit and commented about all the metal plates stuck in his body.

After that it was already pretty late so Kurt told them they should all get some sleep, especially since he had to start tutoring Sam after breakfast. They all agreed, and got started getting ready for bed. Noah just pulled off his pants and threw them over his shoulder. Kurt immediately told him to pick them up and to put them away properly since he wasn't going to have his room turned into a pigsty. Noah just rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Sam asked where he and Artie could sleep. Artie said he could just take the couch but he also asked if he could take a shower. Kurt said that it was fine and also told him he would have to use his bathroom since the others upstairs where never had any of the handicap rails put in. Years ago when he had his bathroom redone the contractor put in the rails for free and Kurt said it was fine since he didn't really care and he could use the rails as extra towel racks or shelves for his bath oils. Kurt showed Artie the bathroom which made Artie's eyes go wide. He immediately asked if it was ok for him to use the tub instead, wanting to try out the luxurious tub and Kurt told him to go ahead.

Kurt left Artie to enjoy himself while he redid the couch so Artie could sleep on it. That still left the question of where Sam would sleep and since Kurt knew Sam was comfortable enough he offered Sam to share his own bed. It was a huge king size bed and was big enough for six people to sleep in. Sam asked if that would be ok, and Kurt told him it wouldn't bother him at all. Noah as always just had to make a joke about the situation, making Sam blush. Kurt turned to Noah and told him flat out that if 'Puckzilla' was man enough he could let Sam take Noah's new bed instead and sleep with Kurt in the king size bed. Noah playfully flipped Kurt off to which Kurt replied with a slap to his own ass. Sam smiled as watched the two interact. Sam and Kurt took off their clothes and Kurt put on his usual t-shirt and sweat pants.

"Uh Kurt" Sam mumbled behind the privacy screen.

Kurt looked over from his side of the bed and Sam asked if it was ok if he just slept in his underwear. Kurt didn't care at all, knowing Sam just wanted to be comfortable. Sam thanked him quietly, not wanting Noah to overhear and get another joke thrown their way. Sam pulled off his shirt and undershirt leaving him in nothing but a pair of dark green boxers. Artie came out of the bathroom wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms.

"Kurt that was awesome!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it" Kurt laughed.

"Your bathroom rocks yo!" Artie exclaimed.

This just caused Kurt to laugh even harder with Noah joining him. Sam asked what the big deal was since he hadn't seen the bathroom yet. Artie told him to look for himself with a big smile and rolled himself over to the couch to tuck himself in. Sam got shown the bathroom and even he had to admit it looked like something out of a health spa. Sam and Kurt then brushed their teeth and Noah did the same. They all said good night and soon they all drifted off into a deep sleep.

-Next scene-

Kurt was jarred awake by a strange feeling. He groggily opened his eyes trying to clear the sleep from his mind and noticed the bed felt wet. He looked over and saw Sam curled up in a fetal position, shivering under the sheets as if he was freezing.

"Sam" Kurt whispered softly.

Sam didn't responded at all and Kurt put his hand on Sam's shoulder trying to wake him from the nightmare he was obviously trapped in. Sam felt ice cold to the touch and was covered in a cold sweat.

"Sam," Kurt repeated softly, trying to gently shake his friend awake.

Sam bolted awake; looking terrified and almost fell out of the bed. It was only Kurt's quick reaction that stopped him from falling out as Kurt grabbed a hold of Sam. Sam still half asleep resisted Kurt's hold franticly. It took all of Kurt's strength to keep a hold of the bigger man.

"Sam… its ok you're safe. It's just me, Kurt" he repeated in a soft voice hoping to calm Sam down and not wake Noah or Artie who were both still asleep.

Sam thankfully settled down after a few minutes, with Kurt still holding him, whispering calming things in his ear. The blonde looked down at his arms, as if searching for something and let out a sigh of relief as he found nothing.

"I'm ok" Sam breathed out, and Kurt let go of him slowly.

Kurt's shirt was now covered in Sam's sweat and so were his sheets and the pillow Sam had used.

"Come on" Kurt whispered and took Sam's hand with his own.

Still obviously startled and still shivering, skin completely ice cold he let Kurt lead him into the bathroom.

"Here, you need to warm up or you're going to get sick" Kurt said as he closed the bathroom door behind.

Kurt walked over to the shower and turned on all of the messaging showerheads and hot water to a tolerable level.

"Get in" Kurt instructed. "I'm going to change the sheets and then I'll be back with your bag."

With that Kurt left Sam alone to shower and fix the bed. Thankfully it seemed that both Noah and Artie were heavy sleepers since they made no indication of hearing Kurt. Kurt changed the bedding with a match set as quietly as possible and took off his wet shirt. Taking his time so that Sam could collect himself and to be as quite as possible. When he was done Kurt knocked softly and asked if it was ok for him to come in. Getting no response Kurt opened the door slowly and walked in. The bathroom was full of hot steam and Kurt could see Sam sitting in the shower, hugging his knees to his chest. He was obviously crying and shivering like he was still cold, even though the water was still hot.

Not caring about propriety Kurt reached into the shower and turned off the water. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Sam's shoulders. Getting the stool he kept in the bathroom he brought it into the shower. He wrapped Sam's arm over his shoulder and sat him down. Sam looked like he was just barely aware of what was going on around with tears still streaming down his face. Not knowing what to do Kurt did what his mother always did for him when he had bad dreams. He wrapped his arms around Sam and held the blonde against his own chest. He kissed Sam's forehead and looked into his sad eyes and began to sing him the song his mother sang to him.

_There are places I remember  
All my life though some have changed  
Some forever, not for better  
Some have gone and some remain_

All these places have their moments  
With lovers and friends I still can recall  
Some are dead and some are living  
In my life I've loved them all

For some reason even though it was still painful to remember his mother, this song always made him feel slightly better. He remembered how he used to wake up from bad dreams and his mom would pick him right up into her arms when he was still small enough. She would carry him to her bed where he snuggled up with her and his dad and she would sing him back to sleep being hugged and kissed by her and his dad. It always made him feel safe and loved, making all his bad dreams go away. He only hoped it would be just as effective still.

_But of all these friends and lovers  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new_

Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more

It seemed to be working as Sam started to feel a bit warmer and life returned to his eyes. Kurt wiped the tears out Sam's eyes and smiled as Sam did as well.

_Though I remember I__'__ll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I__'__ll often stop and think about them  
In my life I__'__ll love you more  
In my life I__'__ll love you more  
_

At the end of the song Kurt placed a soft kiss a top Sam's head and gently shook the blonde's wet hair. Sam returned the affection by giving Kurt a deep hug and softly thanking him. Kurt told him he was more than welcome. Taking the towel he began to dry Sam's body off, wanting to get the water off of him before it became cold.

"This is so embarrassing" Sam breathed out after a few moments.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have presumed" Kurt quickly stammered out as he turned around.

"That's not what I meant. It's ok to turn around Kurt."

Kurt slowly turned back to his friend, not wanting to make this situation worse.

"I meant it's embarrassing for me… I never liked anyone seeing me like this. I feel like some stupid little kid."

"You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me Sam. By now you should know I would never judge you."

"I feel so naked right now Kurt."

"Uh… Sam… you are naked" Kurt smiled, trying not to laugh.

Sam looked down as if for the first time noticed that he was indeed naked. He laughed out loud and Kurt soon followed.

"I didn't mean it that way, but that works too" Sam declared.

"What is it with the two of us ending up naked together? My karma must be really bad, don't you think?"

"No this time I'm naked, your not" Sam corrected.

This was true since Kurt was still wearing his sweatpants, having only taken off his shirt when he was fixing the bed.

"Well I don't know if that makes me the luckier of the two of us or you" Kurt retorted, which caused them both to laugh again.

Kurt told him to sit and wait while he brought Sam his bag. Sam just nodded and watched as Kurt quickly left the bathroom closing the door behind him. When he came back he had Sam's bag, and the wet sheets. Along with that over his other shoulder were some fresh clothes for himself. He gave Sam his bag and chucked the sheets into his hamper. He was going to have to do laundry today since he knew wet fabric shouldn't sit in the hamper for long. Kurt pulled off all of his clothes and threw them in along with the sheet. He then asked Sam for his pair, telling him he would wash them and could get them back next weekend when he came back. Sam thanked him and gave him the sweat drenched pair. Sam pulled on a fresh pair of boxers and an undershirt, although Sam still saw him shivering like he was still cold. Kurt pulled on the pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, not really caring at the moment about going commando.

"I'm sorry Kurt I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble."

"You don't have anything to apologize for" Kurt told him. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?"

"No, I usually can't and right now I'm wide awake."

Kurt told him to wait in the bathroom and then went to his closet once more. Finding what he was looking for he then grabbed his large sketch book. He went to the bathroom and beckoned the blonde to follow him quietly. They went quietly upstairs, Artie and Noah still deeply asleep unaware of the two other men sneaking off. Kurt brought Sam over to the living room and opened up the plastic bag he took from his closet.

"Lay down."

"What?" Sam asked, a bit confused.

"Relax, I promise I'm not going to try and molest you or anything" Kurt joked.

Sam just gave him a punch on the arm for his comment and lay down on the large couch. Kurt then threw a large quilt over his friend and grabbed a cord out of the bag.

"What's all this?" Sam asked.

"It's an electric quilt" Kurt explained. "You're still shivering and I don't want you to get sick."

"Kurt… you're really… I don't know what to say except, thank you."

"You don't have to say anything Sam, because you're always going to be welcome" Kurt reassured his friend. "Just relax for a little while and get warm, I'll be in the kitchen."

Sam just nodded and let the electric blanket warm him up. About ten minutes later Kurt came back with to large mugs of hot chocolate topped with a dollop of whip cream and a dash of nutmeg. He handed one to Sam who sat up and took a careful sip of the semi-hot liquid. Kurt sat himself down on the opposite end of the sofa and began to drink his own.

"Wow" Sam exclaimed. "This tastes amazing."

"Thank you. It was my mother's recipe."

They both stayed silent, enjoying the hot chocolate, neither knowing what to say to the other. Or rather, Kurt didn't want to have the discussion he knew he had to start, but knew he had to.

"Where was that song from?"

"When I was still just a little boy, my mother would sing me that song whenever I had a nightmare. It was the wedding song that she picked for her and my dad's wedding" Kurt explained.

"It was really beautiful."

"Yes it is. It's too bad I'll never have children to pass it on to" Kurt admitted sadly.

"Why wouldn't you have kids?"

"Come on Sam, you know why."

"But, can't you just get one of those surrogates or something or just adopt?"

"Adoption is super tricky for gay people. You have to go through all these interviews so they can see if you're a child molester or something. Then they usually end up having to take crack babies or abused older children. But they can be taken away at any moment if the natural parents come back or so forth. And as far as surrogates go… well there's a lot of legal stuff to go through and money. Plus once again the mother can change her mind at anytime no matter what contract she signs and choose to keep the baby or take the baby back because the law says that despite the fact that it's my sperm, it's _her_ body and _her_ choice and I wouldn't have any say."

"That's terrible!" Sam yelled. "How could they just do that to people?"

"It's how the world works. It's just that simple. I'll never even be able to marry depending on what state I live in since only a handful of states will even recognize gay marriage."

"It's not right" Sam said solemnly.

"No it's not, but hopefully someday in the far, far future people will evolve their… ideas and perceptions. Until then I just got to live my life come what may" Kurt shrugged.

An uncomfortable silence began between them and Kurt knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

"Sam, I think… that you and I need to have a discussion."

"What's up?"

"I want to know what this is" Kurt answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Sam… when you first joined glee I have to admit I joked with Mercedes that you might be gay, because of the bad dye job you gave yourself. But I know you're not" Kurt said quickly seeing Sam about to protest. "There isn't any attraction between us, from either side, so I know that's not what this is. With that said, there are things that are… confusing me about you."

"Like what?"

"Well the most obvious thing would be the fact that you are in no way disgusted by me."

"Why would you disgust me?"

"Well it's simple really. Most straight guys, no matter how accepting or tolerant are normally grossed out by gay sex or even doing anything remotely sexual with another man. If it had been Finn, or Mike, or even Noah, they never would have taken a shower with me, even if it was to help me like you did. And if the situation was reversed and I tried to help them they would have beat the shit out of me for even trying to help them that way."

"Well, to answer that, you have to remember I've been to nothing but all boys' catholic schools all my life. I'm used to being surrounded by nothing but guys. The worst of it was at Excelsior. Being forced to live with immature teenage guys 24/7 for almost an entire year will really desensitize you. With no women around guys were so desperate for a sexual outlet they didn't really care who was around. I've walked in on most of my dorm mates jerking off to porn and a bunch of other stuff. You learn to just ignore it. Especially when it's in the middle of the night and you can hear the guy in the bed next to yours. Panting and moaning as he plays with himself and a Hustler magazine and he tries to muffle his own voice as he shots his load."

"Well that's just disturbing. Once again I'm grateful for avoiding church and religion in general."

"Kurt, I never really liked being around nothing but guys, and I'd be lying if I said I never played with myself. But I always made sure I was alone when I did it. Having people watch me do that is just wrong, especially if it's a dude" Sam said with shudder. "And I'm secure enough in my own manhood to not care that you're gay Kurt. I know you wont try anything and even now just a while ago you dried off my entire body and didn't even give my… you know… a second glance. You admitted you think I'm gorgeous and at most I take it as a compliment."

"Thank you Sam, once again that means a lot to me. But there are still other things that are bothering me."

"Shoot" Sam said simply.

"I know… Sam… the way you look at me sometimes… even now as you woke up… you looked at me… like I was a ghost."

Sam looked down into his mug not wanting to meet Kurt's gaze.

"Sam, you said you knew what I was going through. And no offence but when you said something bad happened to you back in Iowa, I think it was more than just bad. Am I wrong?"

"Kurt, please…"

"Sam, look at me."

Sam looked up from his mug and into Kurt's unwavering gaze.

"Whatever happened to you, we can talk about it. I know you said you weren't ready. But, we're here now Sam. It's just you and me, and whatever you say stays here. Between you and me."

"Kurt, it... this… it's just not easy."

"Sam, all I ask is that you try. And if you can't tell me then try talking to Quinn about it."

"I can't tell her this."

"Why? She obviously cares about you, and I know she's big hearted enough to listen to whatever you tell her without judging you either."

"I know, but its way too soon in our relationship for me to unload on her like that. Not to mention that she is still kind of standoffish about the two of us being together and I don't want to scare her away."

"Ok then, like I said I'm still here, and you know by now you can tell me anything."

"I wouldn't even know how to begin Kurt."

"Begin wherever you want, and just take it slow."

Sam took a few deep steadying breaths, trying to remain as composed as possible.

"I guess, I should tell you a bit about my family first so you can understand something better."

Kurt just nodded, letting Sam speak.

"Well, when my mom got married to my father they both wanted to have a huge family. The whole stereotypical large Irish Catholic family with like thirteen kids. But after I was born, she got some kind of horrible infection and they were forced to remove her uterus so they couldn't have any more kids."

Sam paused, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Anyway, my mom had this friend who she knew since she was in high school. They were like sisters and even lived a few houses away from each other and even got pregnant around the same time. She also had a son… David."

Sam stayed quite for a long time, obviously reflecting on his past. Kurt just stayed quite, listening intently to Sam pour his heart out.

"David… he was the closet thing I ever had to a brother. We grew up together and even when we were little babies my mom and his mom would laugh at how we would cry sometimes when we were forced apart. He and I did everything together, as we got older we weren't always together anymore but we still spent almost all our time together. Playing, exploring, school work or hanging out with other friends and playing sports. Anyway, one day when we were thirteen David started avoiding me. For months he would just avoid me and most of the other kids. Finally I had had enough and confronted him. After a huge fight he admitted to me that he was gay."

Sam's voice drifted off and Kurt reached over and took his hand, giving him emotional support.

"He was so afraid and freaking out. I didn't get what the big deal was. I mean who cared if he was gay. He was still David and that was all that mattered to me and I told him as much. I told him that no one would care and that he should tell his parents and not be afraid. David refused. We were both raised to believe that being gay was wrong. That it meant you were evil or something inside, but I never saw the truth in any of that. In fact I never saw the truth in a lot of what they taught me. I… didn't get why any of what they said meant that you were going to hell. David said his parents and even my parents would hate him because of what our church and schools and religion dictated. And… even thought he never said it, I knew he believed it about himself. He made me swear I would never tell anyone and I promised him I wouldn't. After that things just went back to normal, well as normal as normal gets anyway."

Kurt listened still holding Sam's hand.

"Around everyone else he pretended everything was ok but I knew he wasn't ok. It was all just an act and whenever we were alone and in private he was finally himself and we would talk about stuff since he didn't have anyone else he could talk to. Then… we both got into Excelsior and things got… complicated."

Sam looked like he wanted to be swallowed up by the earth. At this point Kurt didn't know if he should say something but decided to just let Sam continue, not wanting to break Sam's stride.

"I told you before about how we were surrounded by nothing but guys all year round. Well it took a huge toll on David. Anytime he would walk in on one of the guys he would turn tail and run, or at night when they would jack off, he would just leave the dorm for hours, sometimes all night long. Sometimes I would go with him so he wouldn't have to be alone but he told me not to go with him after a few times because he didn't want anyone to get suspicious and think he and I were making out somewhere. Everyone made fun of him for being so squeamish about it. But, David was always really cool and despite everything he managed to become the most popular guy in school. We made the football team together and he even went out for wrestling. By the end of our freshman year he had made quarterback and in sophomore year he made captain of the wrestling team. Now at Excelsior instead of the whole senior prom thing at the end of every year they had a dance where they would invite our sister school over and have an end of the year dance where all of the grades would mix and mingle together. It was a huge deal needless to say since it would be the first time you ever got to see women all year. In freshman year, David and I went but David really didn't want to go. When we were alone he said it was because he would never be able to dance with another guy, and he wouldn't be able to really be himself. In the end he went anyway since he decided it would look way too weird if he didn't show. I was with him all night, talking and dancing with this girl I always had this huge crush on since we were like eight years old. Her name was Sophie Ann. David was having the worst night of his life. Even though he was smiling at first he wouldn't dance with any of the girls, claming he couldn't dance at all. He just stood against the wall like a wallflower, looking more and more miserable as the night went on watching me and the rest of the guys have a blast. Finally he couldn't take it any more and took off when no one was noticing him. No one but me anyway."

Sam started crying softly, tears slipping out of his eyes slowly. He brushed them off trying to force himself to continue.

"This last year… the rest of the guys in our dorm where even more excited about the dance. They were all talking about how they were finally going to get some pussy and probably lose their virginity. David told me flat out he wasn't going this time. I told him he should go and just try to have some fun. David said he just couldn't do it. It was just too hard watching everyone else being able to just be themselves and get wild. All he wanted was to have just one dance, just one moment where he could just breathe. I told him it would be ok and that he should just come and try to at least socialize since he had just won us the championship in the wrestling division. I talked him into going and it started off pretty much as a repeat of last year. Sophie Ann and I were dancing the night away, but I always kept one eye on David. He was standing against the wall after finally getting away from all the guys and all the girls who kept asking him to dance. Every time I would look at him he just looked more and more miserable and sad. Finally when I saw him wipe tears off his face and was about to duck and run I… I made the worst decision of my life."

By now Sam was crying full out and Kurt wrapped him up in his arms again like before. This seemed to calm him down and after a few minutes Sam was once again composed enough to continue.

"I went up to the DJ and requested a slow song and before David could take off… I grabbed his hand and literally dragged him out to the middle of the dance floor. I took him in my arms and I started slow dancing with him. At first he looked like he was going to have a panic attack but I told him to just ignore everyone and look at me. I was freaking out to but I just wanted to make him happy for once. He calmed down and for once in a long time he smiled a real smile and it felt great that I had finally gotten David out of his self-imposed shell. He rested his head on my shoulder and I lead him around along with the music. Unfortunately things… didn't stay good. The song was cut off and David and I finally looked at everyone. They were all staring in shock at us until finally someone shouted out 'faggots'. A couple of other people joined in and started throwing stuff at us. David ran out of the gym. I tried to follow but the principal grabbed my arm and forced me into his office. He started going on about indecent behavior and how it was not going to be tolerated. Not wanting to listen to his crap I bolted right out and headed back to the gym. The music was turned back on and the dance was in full swing again. I went to Sophie Ann and asked her to help me find David. She slapped me across the face and told me to never touch her again. Realizing I was on my own I took off and began looking for him. I went back to our dorm but he wasn't there and I looked in all his usual hiding places but still couldn't find him. Finally I decided to go the football field since it was the only place left to look. As soon as I got close I heard voices yelling. Recognizing them I ran out onto the field and…"

At this point Sam just couldn't talk anymore as he broke down. Kurt held him tighter in his arms and let Sam cry. Kurt's own heart was clenching at what Sam telling him.

"They…" Sam gasped out.

"It's ok Sam," Kurt finally spoke. "Just try to calm down a bit. There's no rush, and I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Sam just nodded as he cried into Kurt's shoulder. It took a while but Sam finally calmed and Kurt didn't mind in the least comforting his friend. He already had a sinking feeling of where this story was going.

"I… heard the yelling from the locker room. It was Daniel yelling, at someone. When I ran out onto the field I saw… four of the guys from our football team and David. Two of them where holding him with his arms around his back, and one of them… one of them was bashing his head in with a baseball bat."

Kurt began to cry as well but tried to stay composed. This was Sam's time to let out his grief and he needed someone who wasn't going to fall apart on him.

"Everything… after that is a giant blur. I… can't remember what happened. The most I remember is running out and tackling Williams to the ground. I woke up in the hospital with my mom and dad talking to a doctor at the foot of my bed. They ended up breaking my nose, and a few of my ribs. I had a bad concussion and they said I was lucky I didn't have any brain damage. But David… by the time we were brought in he… was brain dead."

"I'm so sorry Sam. Neither of you deserved what happened to you."

"They asked me for my account about what happened, and I had to tell the police, my parents and David's parents about everything that had happened. When I asked about David… they wouldn't tell me… and… and I knew it was bad. I finally forced the doctor to tell me where David was and they told me he was being kept alive in the ICU. I told his parents I wanted to see him and they brought me to him. His head was bandaged up and his face was completely black and swollen from being beaten in. They told me they were going to take him off life support, but I told them not to. I told them he would wake up. They kept telling me he was brain dead and would never wake up. His parents said they were going to pull the plug in the morning. I stayed up with him all night, trying to talk to him. Trying to get him to wake up. I told him I was sorry for what I did. How it was so stupid and how I hated myself for letting all of it happen. I asked him for his forgiveness, I asked him to just squeeze my hand."

"Sam look at me" Kurt said as he held Sam's face close to his own. "I understand why you feel guilty, I understand. Who wouldn't feel guilt? You made a bad decision, but David's death was never your fault. You weren't the one who beat him to death, and you weren't the one who put all that hate into the monsters hearts."

"He was my brother Kurt, and if I hadn't danced with him and let him keep his secret he would still be alive. I know I'm not smart Kurt. But I don't understand why… why it was so wrong… I just don't understand. I wanted him to be free, to just… love whoever he wanted. Why… why is that so bad?"

"It's _not_ wrong Sam. And you are _not_ stupid. What people don't understand is that love… love has no shape, or color. And if two people love each other it doesn't really matter who or what they are. As long as they love each other, that's all that matters. _You were right all along Sam_! You were right, and David was lucky to have a friend and brother like you. Someone who accepted him for everything he was."

"I stayed up with him all night, but he just wouldn't answer me. Finally they were going to pull the plug and I begged them not to. I told him he just need more time to wake up. They kept telling me there was no hope. Finally they just went ahead and pulled the plug and when I tried to stop them to orderlies grabbed me and sedated me."

"Sam, it wasn't your fault" Kurt repeated. "It was the football players who killed him. Not you!"

"That's not what David's parents told me. I wasn't even allowed to go to his funeral."

"Sam, they were just trying to lash out at you in their grief."

"No Kurt you don't understand. It wasn't just his parents. My mom and dad…"

Kurt once again just waited for Sam to collect himself and let him tell his story.

"It all just fell apart. Everything! I told the police what happened but they never came back to tell me anything about what they had done to Williams or the other players. My parents looked at me like I was some kind of monster. When I was finally let out of the hospital I tried to contact the police myself. They told me that they had brought them all in for questioning and they all told the police that David had been sexually harassing them and trying to force himself on them. They had gotten the whole team to corroborate the story and they said I was trying to force myself on them in the locker rooms. How the both of us were always doing a bunch of sick sexual stuff with each other in the dorms and how we would sometimes at night have sex with each other while they were in the room or try to have sex with them."

"Oh Sam!"

"Before I knew it David and I were nothing but sick gay rapists and everyone was calling me a liar. David's parents said I had corrupted their son and now he was burning in hell because of me and my own parents wouldn't believe me. The church took up their cause and they all got away scott free. They didn't even get community service because they were the victims and David and I were the ones trying to force them to become sinners or whatever."

"Sam that's horrible. Is that why you left Iowa?"

"That's just how it started. I kept fighting with my parents because they wouldn't believe me when I told them I was straight. Or that David and I had never done any of the things the stories claimed. I'm virgin for Christ sakes! None my friends would talk to me anymore and I had no one to turn to for help. Finally my parents decided I needed to be 'cured'. They had talked to the priest of our church, the same one who helped the football players go free. They told me they wanted to send me to a camp where they cured deviant behavior. And that if I repented my 'sinful' ways I could still be saved and I could start by apologizing to all the other boys I had hurt."

"That's sick!"

"I told them I wasn't going anywhere and that I wasn't the one who needed to be saved. My father said I had no choice. That I was living under his roof and that I would go even if I had to be dragged there kicking and screaming. I told him I would rather die and he was a horrible father for not believing in me. He told me I was the disappointment and that he should have known there was something wrong with me since I had robbed my own mother of the ability to give birth when I was born."

"Sam…" Kurt just didn't have the words to express what he was feeling.

Sam just stayed quite and Kurt felt useless, not being able to do anything other than hold his friend tightly in his arms.

"The priest left the information for the camp and told my parents he would help make the arrangements. I looked through it all and it was really some kind of psychiatric hospital. They claimed they could cure homosexuality like it was some kind of disease. I looked up their stuff online and it described how they treated you. It pretty much broke down to them forcing you to watch gay porn while they injected you with drugs and hormones, along with intense psycho therapy. Then… then they give you electric shock to try and kill off the part in your brain that's making you gay."

Kurt just listened, having heard of those places that made claims toward curing people of the gay condition.

"I finally had enough and my dad and I had a huge fight. And I mean huge. I won't bother telling you what we said. It was all just messed up. But it escalated to violence when he said that David belonged in hell and deserved what he had gotten. I saw red and… and I punched him right in the face with all my strength, knocking him out cold. My mother started screaming and I just ran out of the house."

"I don't understand how any parents could do that to their own child, no matter what their religion told them was right. It must have been horrible for you."

"It was. I didn't have anywhere to go so I just walked all over town, until it was the middle of the night. I knew I couldn't stay with my parents anymore and most of our family was actually still in Ireland so I only had my uncle to turn to."

"Is that how you got to live here?"

"Yeah. You see I didn't know exactly where to find my uncle since I didn't even know if he was in the country or not. So I waited until around three in the morning and I snuck back into my house. I stole all the money in my father's wallet, my mother's purse, and my dad's address book. I found my uncle's address there and I bought myself a ticket on an express grey hound bus straight for Lima. I spent two days on that bus, scared out my mind. I loved my uncle very much since he was always like a hero to me. If he ended up turning me away I didn't know what would have happened. I showed up on his door step hoping he was at least home. When he opened the door I just grabbed him and begged him to help me. It took a while but I told him everything that had happened. I told him all about David and I told him what had happened and finally what my parents were planning to do."

"So what happened?" Kurt asked when Sam went quiet for a long time.

"My uncle believed me and told me he wouldn't let his brother send me to that place. I stayed with him this summer, while he tried to talk some sense into my parents. My father said I was a liar and he wouldn't have me living under his roof anymore. My uncle told him he was a prejudice fool who should know better. My parents gave my uncle legal custody of me. The last time I spoke to my parents was when I went with my uncle to pick up my stuff. My mother wouldn't even look at me. She just cried while holding a baby picture of me. My father told me to go and to never come back."

"Sam, they were fools for turning their backs on you. I can tell you right now Sam; there is nothing wrong with you at all. You're a wonderful man, and it's sad that more people can't be as open minded and kind hearted as you."

Neither one of them spoke for a while, just letting everything. Kurt had never been more grateful for his father. He knew that it wasn't easy for his dad to have a guy son. After all, his dad was a real meat and potatoes kind of guy and he was… well to put it nicely a very effeminate queer. But no matter what his dad still loved him. Sam's parents were just terrible people and Sam wasn't even gay.

"Sam, I want to ask you something. It's probably a very messed up question but I need to know."

"Kurt, I think by now you know you can ask me anything."

"Sam… about you and me… is the reason you want to be my friend because I'm gay like David was?"

"No Kurt. You and David don't have anything to do with each other. It's just that after everything that happened I can't just turn my back while people keep doing the same thing. You and David were nothing alike in the slightest. I want to be your friend because, I like you. You're smart and nice, and you're really brave Kurt."

"That's really nice of you to say Sam, but in the end the truth is I'm... I'm just a coward."

"Kurt you're not a coward. Why would you think that? I mean you get up everyday and face the world just as you are. Not hiding or anything."

"_If I was really brave I wouldn't be planning to escape. It's easy to put up a front when you have nothing to lose."_

Sam watched as Kurt just stayed quite, looking like he was ashamed and contemplative.

"Kurt what's wrong?" Sam asked worriedly as he saw a tear slip out of Kurt's right.

"Sam, I'm not who you think I am. You really shouldn't put me on pedestal."

Sam asked what he was talking about. But Kurt just told Sam that he wished he could be a stronger person. This didn't pacify Sam and he kept pressuring Kurt.

"Kurt I just bared my soul out to you. Whatever is wrong you know I won't tell anyone, I promise you" Sam said sincerely.

"_Can I really trust him? I mean… how could I not? But I don't want anyone to stop me."_

Kurt told Sam that he was planning something, but would only tell him if he promised not to try and stop him. Sam replied by telling Kurt that he would never try to stop him as long as he wasn't trying to kill himself or something. Kurt told him it was nothing like that and that he was planning on living for a long time. Relieved Sam agreed, giving Kurt his word that he wouldn't try to stop him or tell anyone. So in return Kurt told Sam how he was planning on leaving Lima. He explained his reasons and why he wanted to leave. Sam in turn just listened and let Kurt have his turn to vent. By the end Kurt felt a little lighter.

"Kurt, I can understand why you're planning this, but I think your being too hasty. And I think your dad will be heartbroken if you just pick up and leave."

"I know Sam, but I meant it when I said this house… it doesn't feel like home anymore. And it's not just because of all the mementos of my mother are gone. I know she's dead and she would want my dad to be happy. But it feels like everything that was good about my home life is just gone. And then when I watch my dad interact with Finn and Carole… it's like he finally has what he always wanted and I'm just some… memento of his past collecting dust in a chair, ruining the perfect picture. And the problems I have at school are just getting worse and I don't want to keep fighting everyday for next two years hoping I can tough it out."

"I think you should tell that to your dad instead of just running away. I mean, if you're leaving because it would be an amazing opportunity even I would tell you to go. But even if you leave it won't solve all your problems. Trust me, I know."

They continued to talk about it and Kurt conceded that Sam might have a point. In the end Kurt agreed to give things a chance but that he was going to try out for the scholarship anyway. If by December things didn't change for the better and he got the scholarship, he would still go, no matter what. After that Kurt made them some more hot chocolate and talked about different things while Kurt began to draw on his sketch pad.

"Uh… Kurt, are you… sketching me?"

"Relax, your not going to be nude or anything" Kurt answered with a smile, once again making Sam laugh.

Sam told Kurt more about his uncle while Kurt sketched. When he was little he was actually afraid of him because Sam thought his uncle was a giant. But his uncle won him over and he grew to love him very much and was also his godfather. He loved it when his uncle visited because he was always full of stories. His Uncle Dean was also the reason he had learned to play the guitar. Apparently whenever he visited his nephew he always gave him a guitar lesson and he talked his parents into getting him guitar lessons for the whole year while he was away.

He started having nightmares after David's death but they had slowly faded away. This being the first time he had one since he got back to Lima. Sometimes he would dream about the night he David died or being trapped in a hospital with needles stabbed all over his arms. Apparently his uncle took him to Ireland after the final confrontation with his parents at the end of June. Sam's great grandparents on his father's side were still alive and he and his uncle had stayed with them for the whole summer. Ireland was an amazing place and told Kurt he should visit someday. His nana made the most amazing food and he was glad to see them. His grandfather had taken him out fox hunting and both he and his uncle taught him some Irish step dancing which was a big tradition in his family. His father had begun to teach him when he was little but had stopped suddenly with no explanation when they discovered he had dyslexia. The last time he saw his grandparents before this summer was when he was eight years old.

They said they had gotten too old to travel such a long way and Sam's father didn't feel it important to visit them instead and Sam hadn't even known how much he had missed them until he saw them again. His uncle would take Sam out to Pubs where his uncle and a bunch of his old friends would spend almost all night playing music and dancing. It was wonderful for Sam to reconnect with his roots and culture but when he had to, he found himself dreading coming back. His uncle told him it would take awhile to tie up all the loose ends in the army before he could be at home more. Two weeks after school started he was sent out on a mission. The only time he had heard from him was a few days ago to tell him when he would be back. But he left Fenrir with Sam to not only keep him busy but to keep him company.

The major told him that after this mission he had put in for a leave of absence. Once some red tape was cleared up he was going to retire and open up the martial arts school. That way he could be there for Sam all the time. The more Sam talked about his uncle Dean the more Kurt respected the man. It sounded more and more like Sam's uncle and his own father were cut from the same cloth. He was obviously a man who would do anything to protect his family. When Kurt asked if he had ever been married Sam told him he had been but that she had died. Apparently he had left the army years before and was going to open the martial arts school years ago. While he was going through the process of opening the school his wife, Bridget Evans was pregnant. The baby had been born happy and healthy, naming him Rory. But on the day his uncle was to bring them home from the hospital, a drunk driver passed a red light going 70 m.p.h. The car hit theirs dead on and sent their car flying. Dean Evans was the only survivor of the crash. When he had healed from his wounds which included a broken collarbone and some extensive 2nd degree burns he buried his wife and new born son. After that he went back to the only other thing that meant anything in his life, the army.

Kurt told Sam about his mother. He told Sam about how she would always sing to him when she knew he was sad or scared. Kurt never had to explain things to his mom, she someone always knew what he was feeling.

"She really knew what made me tick" Kurt said with a smile. "My dad says I'm just like her.'

"Do you have a picture of her?" Sam asked.

Kurt told him to wait a sec and went upstairs. He came back down with a large photo album that his dad had put away in the attic when Finn and Carole moved in. It was filled with wedding photos and pictures of the three of them together. Sam looked through all the pictures while Kurt went to make more chocolate.

"You look almost exactly like your dad."

"Why do you say that?" Kurt asked as he came back to the living room.

"Because you do Kurt. In these pictures he's a lot younger and still has his hair. Haven't you ever noticed?"

"I don't know. I mean I've seen all the pictures, but my dad always told me I was like mother so I never though about it."

"Look and see" Sam pointed to the wedding picture of his mother and father. "You have your dad's eyes. You're mothers eyes are brown not blue. You have her high check bones and her hair color. But you got fathers chin, mouth, and nose."

Kurt looked as Sam pointed out all the features and soon realized he was right. His father and he looked strikingly similar. If his dad hadn't started going bald all those years ago it would be more obvious how alike they truly looked. They continued to talk and before they knew it the sun was up and it was time for Kurt to make them breakfast. Sam went down to wake up Noah and Artie and use the bathroom. Kurt stayed in the kitchen getting everything ready. After twenty minutes all three had come up the stairs, with Noah carrying Artie and Sam carrying the wheel chair.

"I hope you guys are hungry" Kurt declared.

"That smells amazing, what are making?"

"Well let's see. I'm making fresh Belgium waffles from scratch, topped with fresh fruit and just a small dollop of soy milk whip cream. I'm also making scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, fresh squeezed orange juice, and some grits."

"Damn Kurt, when the hell did you become a master chef?" Noah mocked.

"Don't be a hater just because I'm so multitalented" Kurt quipped.

Kurt asked Sam to set the table and for Noah to put the maple syrup in the microwave to serve it warm. In no time Kurt had served each of them a plate and put the excess he made on the table so anyone could serve themselves more if they wanted it.

"Kurt this food is off the hook" Artie said as he served himself another waffle and some toast.

"I know man; this all looks like it belongs in a food magazine" Sam chimed in.

"Thanks, I've been working on my cooking for years. Good nutrition is so important these days which is why I always feel better eating something I made myself. Not that I don't enjoy eating out but I try to counter balance that with more exercise."

"Man you could come to my house and cook for my family anytime" Artie announced with a moan as he took another bite of waffles.

They all laughed and continued eating. Kurt was glad he had the foresight to make a lot more than just four servings. The four of them together had completely devoured all of the food that Kurt had put on the table. Thoroughly stuffed they all complimented Kurt's for his food making skills once more. Kurt then told Sam he wanted to get started on the tutoring. Noah said he was going to take off since he had a pool to clean, although Kurt had a suspicion that Noah was going to be cleaning out more than just dirty pool drains by the look on Noah's face. Artie said he had nothing to do for the day so he could stay longer if Kurt didn't mind.

"Yeah that's fine, maybe you could give me a hand tutoring Sam, your better than me at geometry and you still wanted to talk to Sam."

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"Well Kurt was telling me about how the both of you work out a lot and well…" Artie looked towards Kurt.

"Artie wants to get in better shape and develop his muscles more. I told him how you and I work out a lot and I thought that the three of us could start working out together to help him. Not to mention ourselves. I still need a lot of work since I'm not satisfied yet with my regime. And I thought we could each combine our work outs since from what I understand the workouts Sam and I do are very different since we focus on different things."

"It _sounds_ like a great idea," Sam agreed. "But Artie, I'm kinda worried about you working out with me and Kurt."

"Dude I can still keep up you with guys even if I'm in a wheelchair. Just give me chance."

"You don't understand Artie. My concern isn't about you being in a wheelchair. That doesn't matter at all. What I'm worried about is that I'm kinda hardcore when it comes to working out. We can take it easy at first and increase as you get used to it but it's going to be super hard man. I'm kinda fanatical about my fitness, and from what Kurt has told me about his work out routine we are kinda on the same page even though we do different things. Kurt works on his gymnastics and stuff to improve that. I do weight lifting and other stuff to increase my stamina, strength, and so forth. And even if you want a better body working out will only get you half way there."

"He's right Artie" Kurt agreed. "This is why I also told you about proper diet, which to most people is _the_ hardest part."

"Kurt is right. It's not going to be easy to give up junk food and so forth. I'm not saying you can't eat those things anymore just not as often and definitely in less amounts. Once in a blue moon like last night is ok. But you can't eat so much junk like those snacks we ate all the time. In fact to be honest Kurt knows even more about the nutrition stuff than I do. The food he made for us last night and this morning was amazing. It was all things you can eat and still be healthy. I don't mean to lay it on thick Kurt but I'm serious. Your food is amazing. If you were ever interested you could open your own restaurant. It would be a big improvement over all the fast food places around here."

Kurt blushed a bit at the praise. It was really nice to have someone appreciate his cooking for once and the hard work he put into it. His dad just wasn't into healthy food and never really would be. The fact that so many people lately seemed to like his food was a welcome change.

"I still want to do it" Artie said firmly resolute.

"Ok then we'll do it. After we tutor Sam we'll sit down and work out a new regime for all of us and a new diet since I still need to build up my own strength and you guys could use a brief lesson in nutrition."

They all agreed and Kurt asked Noah if he would be interested in joining them. Noah said he was game but not to complain when none of them could keep up with him. They then got to work and Noah took a shower and took off for his job. The three went back down stairs to Kurt's room and sat themselves on the couch. Sam brought all of his books out and Kurt asked him where he needed the most help. Sam said English was his worst subject so Kurt decided to start there. He never knew just how bad Sam's dyslexia was until now. It was very difficult for Sam to even understand what was being written down but he could understand it when he was told everything orally. It just didn't translate well when he was forced to read things.

Kurt took it slow and patiently explained to Sam how things were. After an hour and a half Sam started to show a lot of improvement but was still no where near where he should have been. The fact that he was able to even pass the class at all showed just how hard Sam pushed himself just to stay along side the class. The fact only increased his determination to help his friend. When they covered all they could without overloading Sam, they switched to math. Geometry was far less trying for Sam and both Artie and Kurt had him flying through it in no time. Kurt thought that since Sam studied so much astronomy for a hobby it had helped him understand math more easily. After that Kurt started to break down science.

"No Artie that's not how it works" Kurt stated for the 2nd time.

"Ok, both of you guys are confusing me. How exactly does the chemical reaction work with wood burning?"

"Artie, please just let me explain it ok. I aced this test before."

"Alright man but even I have to admit this is all confusing."

"Look it's simple" Kurt tried to explain once again. "Wood doesn't actually burn." Kurt stated. "What burns is the gas released when the wood gets hot. Therefore the reaction would have to be gasification through oxidation reduction, then combustion."

Kurt continued his explanation and wrote down the chemical formula for both of them since it seemed Artie needed a bit of help in Science also. When that subject was covered Kurt went on to Spanish which was truly Sam's worst subject. After learning ways to read in English he now needed completely new ways to do things in Spanish. It took two solid straight hours but Sam finally started to get some of it. After that they all took a break and Kurt gave them all bottles of water from his mini fridge.

"Kurt, Artie, you guys are awesome. Thanks for all your help. I really need to get my grades up or I'll be kicked off the football team."

"Hey, were teammates now, we gotta have each others back" Artie told him.

"Do you guys want to work on that exercise routine?" Kurt asked.

Artie agreed and Sam said he was cool with getting started on the work out routine. Kurt wrote down all of the exercises that he did for his gymnastics and then Sam's exercises. They discussed which parts of the body they targeted and so forth. Artie really had his work cut out for him but they both assured him that they would be there to him and spot him. Some of the exercises they would have to modify for Artie because of his handicap. For example Sam and Kurt both did leg lifts but that wasn't gong to be possible for Artie. Artie told them that he did physiotherapy for his legs to stay in shape so they nixed anything that had to do with the lower region of Arties body. Almost all of Kurt's routine was unusable since Artie obviously couldn't do the somersaults or flips and so forth. But Kurt had a few ideas about how they could still train him to be more flexible. Not to mention Kurt still did other things besides his gymnastic work out so things balanced out well.

The weight lifting was going to be the easiest yet hardest thing to do. Kurt only used weights sparingly and only light weights at that. Artie never weight lifted at all. Sam however was well aware that they would have problems and promised to teach them step by step, but told them they should never do it alone just to be safe and to always have a spotter. They key was to start off light and then gradually increase the amount of weight they could lift and bench. Artie told them that since he could only use his upper body he was already very strong arms and upper body strength even if it didn't seem like it. Kurt said that at most he could lift just a bit more than his own body weight. You had to be able to lift yourself up to do handstands and so forth after all.

The diet part was the most annoying part of it. Artie really didn't understand how they could both severely limit what they ate. However Sam was turned out to be even worse than Kurt.

"Chicken, white meat only, egg white, never any yolk, fish, but no salmon, oatmeal, brown rice, but never after 6:00 p.m., no butter or oil, and no soda" Sam dictated out.

"Are you for real?" Artie stammered out.

"Hey, there ain't no car pool lane to sexy" Sam said and lifted up his undershirt, revealing his abs and lower chest.

"Isn't that a bit much? I mean its one thing to eat healthy but isn't that just going mad too far?" Artie asked.

"Nah, I mean sure if I eat a hotdog or miss a work out I hate myself for a few days but if you want to look good you got to work for it.

"Actually your both right" Kurt finally cut in. "First of all, Artie we told you from the start just how hard this was going to be. Changing the way you eat isn't going to be easy. But if you really want to do this it's all or nothing. Secondly, Sam I hate to burst your bubble but there are several holes in your diet. When I started looking up healthy foods years ago I found quite a few myth breaking research information done by nutritionists and scientists. First of all it doesn't really matter what time you eat. Everyone has a different metabolism and it matters more what you eat and how much you eat than when."

Kurt explained how good nutrition worked and what food were really bad for you. He explained the differences between calories and empty calories, good fats and bad fats and so forth. Then he explained how to tell how many calories something had, from an Oreo cookie, to an apple and so forth. Then he went on to explain how to handle meal times and snacks. People always say you should eat three meals a day but Kurt told them that wasn't true either. Separating three large meals through the day and nothing else was bad since it would make their bodies retain more of the food they ingested and they would have to increase there work out to burn off the food. In the end it was actually best to eat at least five to six times a day. Instead of a large meal, for breakfast have some cereal or oatmeal along with a fresh piece of fruit, like an apple or banana. Then throughout the day just have small snacks. Fruit was Kurt's immediate go to choice along with some vegetables. The biggest meal of the day should be lunch since by midday people are at their most active so they tend to burn off more of what they eat around that time and they usually need the energy.

By the end of it Kurt had broken down everything he could to get them to see what good nutrition was really about and how to use it. Kurt then wrote down a diet for each of them to follow. Sam was a bit squeamish about changing his already well established if overly strict diet but Kurt told him to try it until Halloween. If the results were bad he could just go back to his regular diet with no lasting negative effects. Once they had settled everything they needed to decide where and when to work out. The school already had a weight room and gymnastic room so that seemed like the most obvious place to go since they had free access. However Kurt told them he didn't want to go into the weight room since the football players were usually there and he didn't want to deal with them and start some kind of fight. Sam and Artie told him they wouldn't let that happen but Kurt told flat out he wouldn't risk it. The only other option they could think of was to show up to school even early and use the equipment then. They would need to get there about two hours earlier which both Artie and Sam said they could do. They were going to alternate what days they did certain exercises but Sam told them they couldn't go three days in a row without a work.

When they were done they decided to just relax and have some more fun before they had to go back home. Artie and Sam played Soul Caliber on the PS3, and Kurt went back to working on his sketch. When Artie asked Kurt what he was drawing he told Artie it was something he saw recently that he thought was very beautiful. Sam guffawed at Kurt making Artie confused as Kurt did the same. It was almost lunch time and Kurt fixed them up some more food. Noah came back when they were almost done and Kurt fixed him up a plate also. Pointedly ignoring the bite mark on the halfbacks' neck. The guys had told Noah about their plans to work out and their diet. Noah said he would work out with them but he wasn't going to bother with the diet since he was perfect already.

They all played Fusion again until it was time for Artie to go home. Sam said he should also get going also, not wanting to leave Fenrir alone for much longer. Kurt asked if Noah wouldn't mind taking Artie home while he took Sam since he wanted to take a shower if he was leaving the house.

Noah said it was no problem and let Artie collect his belongings. Artie thanked Kurt for everything and Sam as well for both of their help. They both said it was no problem and that they would see him bright and early Monday morning outside of the school. Noah and Artie then left and Kurt picked out some simple clothes since he was coming right back home.

"I'll be out in a few minutes" Kurt told Sam.

"It's cool, I still got to get my stuff together" Sam told him as he picked up his notebook and school books.

As soon as Kurt was done and dressed they drove back to Sam's house.

"Kurt… thank you… and I don't mean just the tutoring and stuff."

"Sam, it's alright. It's what friends are for. Besides, even though you and I have only known each other for a short time, I think the both of us… Well, we've seen too much of each other at our most vulnerable not to be friends. I'm glad I didn't listen to Finn warning me to stay away from you."

"So am I" Sam agreed.

Kurt leaned over and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek, a gesture to which Sam returned. Sam left and Kurt started to drive back home, trying to think of what to cook for dinner.

-End Chapter-

Songs in chapter:

Frank Sinatra - I'll Be Seeing You

The Beatles - There Are Places I Remember

Hello everyone. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter since it is my longest so far out of the story. This chapter was especially difficult for me to write for many reasons. The biggest one being originality. The chapter I wrote originally was erased because after watching episode six and seven I had to rewrite several parts in this chapter because they were shockingly similar to what was on the show. I don't know if anyone has noticed but whenever I get stuck on this story I try to go back to season one on my blu-ray collection of Glee and the episodes of the new season for references on the characters and their mindsets and motivations. I put everything I can into this story and build up from there. Now unfortunately it seems I've watched too much cause a lot for the ideas I had for this story ended up in recent episodes. Like the 'Singin in the Rain' number they did. My idea was wasn't the same but it was actually very close. The only thing I never thought of was Blaine's character and I'm not sure if I will put him up in the story but I like his character very much so I just might. Also I had plans for other things down the line with Kurt and the jocks, namely Dave but now I don't know what to do. To be honest I feel like I should just give up on the story altogether but the only reason I don't is because despite the similarities my story is taking a completely different direction with the characters. I'm going to start on the next chapter after this but if you guys think I should keep going even further, let me know since I'm just leaving it up to the fans.

Now as far as Sam goes I wanted to explain something. I originally didn't know which guy I was going to choose for Kurt. But I had it down to either Sam or Puck. Since Puck was every ones favorite I choose him to be together with Kurt. That still left me with the question of what to do with Sam and why he was so sympathetic to Kurt. So I used this chapter to explain his character in even greater depth. As I watched the theatricality episode and watched the scene where Burt tore into Finn I got inspired by what Burt said. Sam pretty much _is_ 'the new generation of dude' that sees things differently because they were born into this world already knowing what it took years of struggling for Burt and many other people to figure out. So I began making a story I thought would suit that concept. I watched all the new episodes and went over every scene with Sam in it to get some ideas. I originally thought Sam was going to be Kurt's boyfriend in the show because of the way he reacted towards Finn's homophobia and Kurt's singing. But then since they weren't getting together I choose this instead. I brainstormed a story I hope is worthy of the concept Burt slightly mapped out in season one in his rant against Finn for using the word 'faggy' under his roof. And as for the aftermath part of Sam's story, that part was inspired by a House M.D. episode I saw. The episode was about a guy who collapsed at his wedding and through the usual fare it was revealed he was really a self hating homosexual man who had gone to a hospital to have his gayness cured. I felt very sad for his fiancé at the end of the episode since the guy still refused to accept who he was and tried to use her to escape reality. I used this for several reasons but mostly because I wanted to show the contrast of how parents can really be about their own childrens' sexuality. Kurt is extremely lucky to have a father who accepts him so much even though it's hard for Burt to be comfortable about it sometimes. A lot of parents just aren't that accepting which is what I wanted to show with Sam's story. If anyone has an opinion please feel free to share.

As far as Kurt and Puck are concerned, yes like I said it will happen but not for a very good while. They need to build themselves up to that point and at the moment they will be pretty much be getting more and more comfortable with each other. Now that they are living together they will be forced to see more and more of each other and grow closer. In the mean time I think its just fun to have them play flirting with one another. It just makes me laugh and I always thought Kurt would be able to throw most guys for a loop in the department.

Lastly, I would like to thank LaLa Tink for becoming my beta reader. I couldn't have done this without you.


	6. The Consequences of Mice and Men

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: The Consequences of Mice and Men

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: LaLaTink

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin chapter-

Exhausted. That was the only word that could even come close to describing Kurt Hummel at this very moment. Right now it was 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night and Kurt just wanted to lie in bed and sleep for another week. It had been a week and a half since the sleep over with Sam and Artie. The past week had been busy to say the least. It had also been full of a lot of aggravation. Kurt really had no idea of what his past actions in the days before had started. On Monday everything started off without a hitch. Kurt had woken up eager to start his new workout routine with the guys and the night before had prepared enough food for himself and the guys since they would be getting up much earlier than normal. He had woken up early and prepared a breakfast for his dad and left it warming in the oven for his dad.

Noah was a pain to get up, but he eventually turned over and stumbled to the bathroom to get ready. Kurt had thought ahead and had already got everything ready and put it in Noah's truck. When Noah was dressed they took off for the school in silence, since Noah was obviously not a morning person. Sam was already out front with Artie since Artie ended up calling him for a ride since his parents couldn't drop him off that early. Together the four of them headed straight for the gym and Kurt told them he had brought them all some food to keep their energy up. They were all grateful and Sam started to explain what they were going to start on since Kurt and Sam decided to work on weight lifting first. Noah already lifted weights so he didn't really bother listening to the do's and don'ts and just went ahead and began working out.

It went pretty well with Sam and surprisingly Noah spotting both Kurt and Artie. Sam showed them how to lift the weights properly and so forth, while Noah helped them out when their muscles almost gave out. They kept at it, neither Kurt nor Artie wanting to give up. Artie wanted to get a better body because he felt very self-conscious about his appearance and it would help with football. Kurt, however, wanted to get stronger for dancing. He could already lift his own body weight. It was a definite requirement for gymnastics. However, for dancing you had to lift a lot more depending on your partner. When he had studied dancing this year it was very disappointing not being able to do the lifts that other male dancers could do. When he told his instructor he wanted to learn them, his teacher told him he was far too delicate to try them no matter how good of a dancer he was.

It was rather irksome to say the least, but he couldn't deny the truth. His size had been a liability and when he tried to insist his teacher flat out told him that if he tried it he was sure to hurt himself or his dancing partner. The teacher told him he just had to settle for the female part in the lifts because unless he could lift at least 150lbs there was no way he would be able to do them. Once again it really bothered Kurt that he fits into the role of a woman better than he did the role of a man. At the time Kurt relented, but he was still determined to do the lifts. Soon after he begged his father for the gymnastic lessons. It was the second reason he trained so hardcore this summer. Gymnastics were a perfect fit for him and it really helped whip him into better shape. Especially if the problems with his clothing was anything to judge by.

Yes, it would help him greatly on the cheerios but he would only be a cheerio until he left school. Dancing, however, was something he was going to need if he was ever going to make show business a career. He loved to dance and while he was still nowhere near as good as Mike or even Tina it was something he wanted to keep working on, just like with his vocals. The routine he wanted to do with Santana was a routine he had been thinking about since they had gotten back from the summer. Now that he had gotten stronger he wanted to try some of those lifts and incorporate them into the routine. However, Kurt knew it was important to keep getting stronger since he still couldn't lift 150lbs. The only reason he knew he could do the lifts with Santana was because of the extremely strict weight requirements Coach Sylvester made them adhere to. He was planning to text Santana before first period to get her to come out to the gymnastic room later on in the day to begin to work on it.

By the time they were done Kurt felt like his muscles had come to life and were leading some kind of revolt against him. While they had kept it light Sam really was hardcore about fitness and kept driving them to keep going and push their limits as much as possible. Kurt had given them food and also told them he had prepared healthy snacks for them to get them through the day. He gave them each a list of appropriate snacks they could eat and tips on what they could keep in their lockers without risk of spoiling since they rarely had anything healthy to eat at school. This way they could eat something in between classes and keep their energy up and abate their hunger. Artie was the most grateful seeing as how he was the one who needed the most help.

After that they all scattered to go about their day as usual. Or at least that's what Kurt thought. The jocks, having established their dormancy had gone back to doling out slushies. It was only Azimio and Karofsky that stayed more violent and kept pushing him up against the lockers whenever they passed him in the halls. He had told Artie in a text that he and Mercedes need to talk and to meet in the A/V room during lunch time. After that he went to class and as usual was bored out of his mind by the material. By the end of 2nd period he just wanted to skip the rest of the day and go home to just enjoy a nice hot bath. Rachel, however, seemed to have other plans. She had passed him a note in class asking him to talk to her after class. He looked at her and nodded, not understanding what she wanted. They went to the auditorium to talk, and Kurt couldn't help, but notice how anxious Rachel seemed.

When they were alone Rachel gave Kurt the books he had requested on kosher cooking and so forth. Kurt thanked her and put the books away in his bag, giving Rachel a chance to work up the nerve to say whatever it was she had on her mind. As it turned out she wanted to know what was going on between Finn and Kurt. Kurt immediately told her nothing was going on only for Rachel to insist on knowing what was happening. Kurt told her he didn't know what she was talking about and Rachel told Kurt that Finn was very upset the night before. She had noticed Finn's strange behavior and asked if it had anything to do with what happened in the cafeteria. All Finn would say was that he and Kurt were having problems.

In response Kurt said that, yes he and Finn had problems, but it wasn't any of Rachel's business. And that as long as Finn behaved civilly Kurt was more than mature enough to do the same. Rachel then said that as captain of the glee club she had to make sure that everyone was getting along and out right demanded an explanation. This didn't sit well with Kurt to say the least. While Rachel Berry may be able to control and dominate one Finn Hudson, Kurt Hummel, however, wasn't going to let anyone control him. Kurt flat out told her that it wasn't any of her business and that she could take her captaincy and shove it up her ass. He then went on to say that the only reason they ever voted to make her captain was because no one wanted to take the year book photo. As a final insult he told her that if her so called captaincy actually meant anything to her she would realize that she should use her position to make the glee club better instead of trying to push them all into the background.

Turning on his heels Kurt stormed off leaving a gob smacked Rachel Berry in his wake. Completely incensed he took off to the A/V room where he was supposed to meet Artie and Mercedes for the eventual confrontation with them. It was still 3rd period so he knew he would have time to cool down. He went in thankful no one was there and took out his portfolio. He hadn't even gotten any work done on that original song he planned to do. Nothing he had written had even sounded remotely acceptable to him and his mind just wouldn't let him come up with anything even remotely good. Still blocked he gave up and decided to work on other things. He turned to the new page in his portfolio he had made for Sam and began to think up more songs to add under his section.

Time passed as he worked in silence. It was actually relaxing working out his ideas and exploring new possibilities. Furthermore, it was nice drawing out new costume ideas for each music number. He had started learning how to draw when he had become more interested in fashion. He would sketch out different ideas to mix match his favorite clothes and as he got better at it he had started exploring his own ideas for clothing. He never told anyone, but he was hoping that once his career in show business took off he could use the fame to launch his own fashion line. It was the other reason he had learned so many languages. He wanted to travel the world, and follow fashion around it and see his clothing in fashion shows like the infamous ones in Madrid and so forth.

So engrossed in his work he was surprised when Artie rolled in with Mercedes. Kurt closed the portfolio and smiled at his friends, hoping this would end painlessly. After a few minutes of discussing his book, they began to ask why he had never shown them any of it. Kurt told them it was because the book was never meant for glee, but for just him since originally the book was only all about himself and the songs he thought would be good for him to sing. He omitted that he intended to submit it for a scholarship and his dad refused to let him. Then he told them that even though he added the rest of glee in the book he never showed it to them because Mr. Shuester would never let them use any of it. This lead to a big argument and both Mercedes and Artie said that if Kurt showed it to the club they would have his support. Kurt's response was that it didn't matter. Mr. Shue would never go for any of it plain and simple. Neither wanted to budge on the issue so Kurt decided to prove his point firsthand with a wager.

Each of them in turn would at random ask Mr. Shue if they could do certain numbers from the book for the rest of the week. He would also get Sam in on it since he also knew about the book from Kurt telling him everything. Along with that he would ask Noah to try and suggest things too, just to mix things up. If Mr. Shuester agreed to do just one of his numbers Kurt would share the book with all of glee club. But, if Mr. Shuester refused the ideas the book would stay secret and the matter would be put to rest permanently. They all agreed, but Mercedes said that even if Kurt didn't share the portfolio she wanted to try some of the things Kurt had written down for her. Artie agreed and said he wanted to do the same. On that issue Kurt said that he would let them both pick one number from the book and that they would work on it.

The DVD was just as hard to explain and he flat out lied to them, telling them it was just stuff for posterity and fun. But, when they asked about the diva-off he would only tell them that he found something he loved more than the spotlight. When they pressed on about it he told them to just drop it and that it wasn't important enough to make a fuss about. Artie told him that his voice was amazing and that he shouldn't hide it. Kurt told him he was flattered and that his support meant a lot to him, but that he had his reasons for staying in the background. Neither Mercedes nor Artie could make him elaborate or explain why, so they just stopped arguing about it.

Refusing them answers had obviously hurt their feelings, making Kurt feel terrible. Kurt just hoped that it wouldn't hurt their friendship. When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch period they went off to class. As Kurt walked down the hall he heard a lot of people whispering, obviously gossiping about something huge by the sound of it. Kurt listened in as he went through his locker for his books. The news was that Puck had apparently kicked Santana to the curb. Supposedly they had some fight the period before and Puck had told the Latina where she and her fake tits could go.

Things were going to get bad now. That was an inevitability now plain and simple. Kurt could have kicked himself for telling Noah just how far Santana had taken her ownership of Puckzilla. In the end though he knew Noah had a right to know. He would want to know the truth about that if he was in Noah's place and he personally thought Santana had taken things too far. But, now that she didn't have Noah or Brittany Santana was going to be on the war path and someone was going to get hurt. Santana was ambitious and fiercely territorial. She had proven that last year and this year already. Kurt just hoped that whatever happened would be fixable. New Directions were already strained thin enough as it was with all the drama going on. With this it was just going to make things worse.

The rest of the day passed and when the final bell rang Kurt took off for cheerios practice. Santana was clearly pissed and Kurt tried to assess the damage as it were. Practice had been pretty standard; even though he was now head cheerleader along side Quinn he just let her take charge. He knew his position was only due to his performance last year and didn't want to cause Quinn any more problems. In the end it rarely mattered anyway other than the head cheerleader helping coach Sylvester come up with routines sometimes, which in the end was always her final decision anyway. Kurt had his own ideas, but decided to share them with Quinn instead of going to Sylvester when he ironed out the details. This way they could both share in the credit and Quinn could maybe give him a fresher perspective on his ideas.

But, right now all of that was the farthest thing from Kurt's mind. As soon as they took a break Kurt reminded Santana about her agreement to help him. She snapped and told him to 'fuck off'. It was clear she didn't want to be messed with and Kurt really had no idea what to do. In the end he decided to just let her be for now. Kurt was at a complete loss for what to do. Maybe Sam had been right and he had been too hasty in his decision making. He was still leaving, but he should have just kept up the pretenses that everything was going as normal. Now, Rachel and Finn were both mad at him, Mercedes and Artie were both hurt by Kurt's refusal to let them in and he had no real way of fixing anything. When Kurt had the chance to talk to Noah about it he said that it was one thing to advertise Puckzilla's badassness but no one _owned_ him. He had snatched her cell phone when he got the chance and looked through her photos and low and behold there was Puckasuarus in all his glory. He wasn't mad about the picture, he was mad that Santana had tried to lay claim to him. After all, no one can tame Puckasuarus, no one.

Noah said he had to meet with Rachel's lawyer that day after practice so Kurt got a ride home from Brittany. When Noah came back he was pissed off since the best the lawyer could do was get Noah off with six weeks of probation and community service. Kurt said that was very good and that Noah should take the deal. Noah of course disagreed and said he was just going to bail and skip town. Kurt said he was crazy and that if he did that it would only make things worse. Instead of listening Noah just started to pack his bags.

"Noah stop! You can't do this! You're throwing your life away! This isn't going to help."

"Help! Since when the hell did anyone care about me? Let alone help me!"

"_**I**_ care about you!" Kurt yelled and grabbed Noah's bag.

"Let go!" Noah yelled, trying to take the bag back.

"No! I'm not letting you end it like this Noah. I care about you and I'm not just going to sit here and watch you throw your life away," Kurt told his friend.

"What do you care? You never cared about me before! I'd thought you'd be happy to get rid of me finally," Noah snapped.

"You know that's not true Noah," Kurt replied calmly as he looked into Noah's eyes. "I came to juvie and bailed you out. I invited you into my home and, despite everyone telling me I was crazy or wondering why I would help you in the first place, I still stuck by you. So, just stop already and listen to me," Kurt reasoned.

Noah looked at Kurt as tears started to stream down his blue eyes and knew he was right. Ever since Kurt had freed him from that hellhole juvie center Kurt had stood by him. Even with everything Finn said to the soprano Kurt didn't give in and kick him out like Kurt's former crush wanted.

"Kurt…"

"Noah, you're my friend. We might not have been friends before, but… it doesn't mean I'm not here for you right now. You can't just go on the run it's stupid. And what about Sarah? You can't just leave your sister behind, and I know you care about her. Just do the community service and you'll be done by the first week of November and it will all be over."

"Kurt… why do you even care? Why are you doing all this for me?"

"I told you Noah. I know you're a good person," Kurt answered.

They continued to talk into the night, going over everything the lawyer told the half back. By the sound of it Rachael's lawyer had done an amazing job. After arguing back forth Noah agreed to the deal, and said he would meet with the lawyer and accept the deal. Kurt told his friend that he was doing the right thing. Noah didn't understand what he had ever done to get Kurt's friendship, but as he looked at the soprano he knew he couldn't have asked for a better friend. Everyone so far was expecting the worst out of him and for some reason Kurt decided to give him a chance to do the opposite. What he couldn't figure out was why.

Tuesday had been pretty standard. Once again it started with a workout only this time, Kurt brought them to the cheerio's gymnastic room. Kurt knew none of them really thought what he did was challenging but, they were in for a surprise. Kurt showed them his routine of Calisthenics. From push-ups to pull-ups. Artie, however, wasn't going to be able to do a lot of the exercises, like the squats, jumping jacks, and so forth. Instead, Kurt told him to concentrate extra hard on the exercises he could do. Sam and Noah helped Artie get up on the pull up bar and stayed very close to grab him in case he fell. Sadly enough they were proven right and Artie had to be caught a few times as he wasn't strong enough to hold on to the bar for long just yet. Kurt then had the guys sit him down atop the pommel horse. Explaining his idea, Kurt had them to hold Artie by his legs and told Artie to lean back and start doing sit-ups. Doing it this way made it easier for Artie to do the exercises since it would get painful after a while doing it on the floor. Plus, his muscles would feel it more this way. When that was done they moved on and Kurt made sure Artie got as much exercises as possible. When they were done they all scattered once again, going about their day. Aside from the hassle he got from the jocks, nothing really happened. Cheerios went off the same as always and Santana looked to have composed herself a bit better. Kurt hoped that meant she wasn't going to do anything rash. By now Kurt knew Santana enough to know she didn't like being usurped in anyway. The whole fight with Mercedes proved that last year and the fight with Quinn when they got back from summer just reaffirmed that again. Kurt just hoped that whatever happened things wouldn't get too bad. Trying to get a sense of how bad things were Kurt tried to get her help one more time about that routine she had agreed to help him with. For a moment she looked like she was going to throw one of her usual gay jokes at him and brush him off. He explained to her his idea for a dance routine and asked her if she was still interested, since some of the routine he wanted to use for a cheerios number. They agreed to meet in the auditorium the next day at lunch to start working on it. Taking it as a good sign he hoped he could get the Latina to just open up and maybe, just maybe lay off Brittany and Noah. Noah was already on the prowl for chicks if his boosting was anything to go by and Brittany so far was deliriously happy with Artie neither of which Santana was all that happy about. Kurt could see it was going to be a race; could he do something about Santana before she went off? Wednesday, however, was a not a good day. In between first and second period, Azimio tripped Kurt down the stairs. Sam didn't like that very much as was evident by the punch Azimio received from Sam for his trouble. Kurt was fine thankfully, and had to grab Sam before a full fledged fight broke out. The only reason it didn't was because as Kurt had grabbed Sam Mr. Shue showed up effectively neutralizing the incident. Mr. Shue didn't see what had happened, but he knew something was going on. Kurt pulled Sam away and told him that while he was grateful he didn't want Sam to get caught in the crossfire. Sam just said he didn't care and that Kurt should at least try to fight back. Kurt said it wouldn't matter since he was leaving. Neither was willing to budge and on the argument and Kurt just hoped Sam would be OK one way or another.

At lunchtime Kurt and Santana locked themselves up in the auditorium. Kurt explained to her his ideas and Santana was clearly intrigued since a lot of it focused on her. As they practiced Kurt focused on the routine not really knowing what to do. He and Santana never really socialized. In fact, he couldn't really remember ever being around her unless it had something to do with either the cheerios or glee and he didn't know of anyone else who did. And when she was she was she was usually a bitch to all of them ninety percent of the time. At first she joined them as a spy, but she admitted that in the end she loved glee. It had become the best part of her day. So maybe, just maybe… there was some hope after all.

"Can we talk about something?" Kurt finally asked as they sat down for a break.

Santana just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"I know we might not really be friends or anything close to it outside of glee, but I just wanted to know how you're doing. I know that whole thing with Noah…"

"Look, this whole friend crap you're trying to do is cute, but a waste of my time," Santana told the soprano with a sneer.

"Santana... let me ask you something, and if you don't want to answer that's fine. But… why did you ever dump Noah last year?"

"Why do you care?"

"I just don't get it Santana. I mean, Puck's the badass of William McKinley, his cool points are off the charts, and before you claimed him as yours, all the girls used to fight over him. He's better looking than Finn ever was and ever will be and to top it all off I know first hand he's the type of guy who will do _anything_ for someone he ever comes to truly care about. So, I don't understand why you dumped him."

"Because no matter what, he's a Lima loser, and he'll always be a Lima loser," Santana answered. "As a woman, I need financial security. Puck will never be able to give me that. Or anything else I need besides a good lay."

"OK, fine. But, then why did you tell everyone not to go near him? If you didn't want him, why did you go crazy and tell everyone he was off limits?"

"Because like you said, his cool points are off the charts. If it's one thing I know it's how to climb the popularity latter. As long as I was the only one with exclusive rights to Puck I had something no one else, not even _Queen_ Fabray had," Santana clarified, practically spitting out Quinn's name.

"But, that doesn't make sense. If you just wanted to use him for popularity, than alright, I can understand that. But, what about Brittany? You sleeping with her wouldn't make you popular."

"Why do you even care? It's none of your business!" Santana snapped defensively.

"Santana I… I just don't… get it," Kurt trailed off as he stared at Santana. "Santana… when did you start… you know… sleeping with Brittany?"

"OK look gay boy, I don't know what your damage is, but this conversation is over," Santana stated and turned to leave.

"Was it just after you dumped Puck?"

Santana just ignored him and stormed out of the auditorium. Not knowing what to do Kurt just gathered up his things and left. Kurt went on with his day, hoping he hadn't made things worse. This unfortunately didn't turn out to be the case. From the talk spreading around as Kurt left his 5th period class Santana, Brittany and Artie had gotten into a fight. Of course Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. According to the most popular story being spread by Jacob Israel, Santana and Brittany had been fighting over Artie and it turned into a huge brawl over Artie's footlong. Wanting to know what was really going on Kurt texted Artie.

Kurt met him in the choir room, along with Brittany. Artie looked a bit worse for wear, but relatively unscathed minus the broken lip he was sporting. Brittany's hair looked tousled and was out of its usual pony tail. She had scratch marks on her neck and her uniform was torn. According to Artie Santana had come up to him in the hallway and had started to mess with him about his supposed relationship with Brittany. Things got heated and Brittany had then shown up not even knowing what was going on. Artie had told her to leave him alone, which Santana ignored and had started in on Brittany. Once again things went bad and Santana ended up punching Artie.

Brittany jumping to her mans defense had slapped Santana, hard. After that it was a huge cat fight, which ended up with them fighting right on top of Artie, who had been knocked out of his wheelchair. By the time Mr. Shuester had pulled them apart, Santana's top had been completely ripped off and Brittany's skirt had joined it. Thankfully she was wearing panties, although they didn't leave much to the imagination. Kurt's head was spinning and he just couldn't think of a way to fix any of what he had started. In the end Kurt decided to just leave things alone for now. He had made things worse when he told Noah about Santana and now he had probably set off Santana herself.

Trying to put it out of his mind, he spent the rest of the school day with Brittany and Artie in the choir room. Glee had been a tense ordeal. Mr. Shue came in late accompanied by Santana, obviously from Figgins office. Santana just took her seat with her usual look of disinterest, not even bothering to acknowledge the rest of the group. After that glee continued like always with a minor difference. As they had agreed beforehand Artie and Mercedes had started to suggest songs. The results were just as Kurt had predicted.

For the rest of the week the Artie and Mercedes tried to suggest songs and they were repeatedly shot down. Kurt had also gotten Noah and Sam to suggest things too and were met with similar results. By the end of glee on Friday Artie and Mercedes had conceded, but said they still wanted to do some of the songs Kurt had written for them. Kurt suggested that instead of doing one song for each of them they could team up and do a duet number. His friends agreed and Kurt told them what song he thought would be great for them to do. He gave them all the details and told them they could do it for glee next week since they both wanted to show the club what they could do.

Friday night dinner had been another trial for Kurt. The entire façade was already beginning to grate on Kurt's nerves. Finn so far hadn't started anything, much to Kurt's appreciation. But, it was clear he didn't like the idea of Noah intruding on another facet of his life. In truth, Kurt wasn't really angry at Finn, just… disappointed. Kurt ignored Finn for the better part of the dinner and talked to Noah instead. It still kept amazing him how easy it was to hang out with Puck. It was nice to have a guy who could talk to, but talking to Puck had its down sides.

Now that he had kicked Santana to curb, almost every other word out of his mouth was about some new chick he had banged. With Santana now out of the picture it seemed he was out to prove just how much of a man he really was. Obviously it wasn't Kurt's favorite topic of conversation. And while it was nice to express the more masculine side of himself he desperately missed hanging with Mercedes and the girls. Also, while he wanted Noah to feel at home, Noah had gotten far too comfortable since he had started leaving his dirty clothes all over the place. Kurt had had enough when a pair of Noah's dirty underwear managed to find its way onto Kurt's vanity table.

Noah of course thought Kurt's reaction was hilarious, which ticked Kurt off even more. Kurt told Noah under no uncertain terms that he was not allowed to turn there room into a pigsty. Thankfully, he seemed to have gotten the message and wasn't throwing his clothes around anymore. Although, he apparently didn't like wearing clothes and was in just his underwear about 60% of the time. This lead to quite a few awkward moments for Kurt, and he oddly enough found himself missing Finn's squeamishness. While he didn't mind seeing Noah nearly nude, he had a feeling Noah was just trying to egg him on and it was all Kurt could do not to give in.

The weekend was thankfully quiet and passed without incident. Kurt spent most of the day by himself at the garage while Noah went out to clean pools and a date Saturday night. Sam had plans with Quinn and Artie had plans with Brittany. Wanting to relax he invited Mercedes over for a movie night and they spent most of the night doing manicures and watching what Noah would call 'chick films'. It was great and definitely a much needed break from the stress of everything going on around him.

Sunday Sam came over bright and early for breakfast ready for a day of tutoring. His dad really seemed to like Sam and most of breakfast was spent with his dad asking Sam about himself. When they were done eating they got straight to tutoring. Kurt once again began explaining everything to Sam and broke things down for him. With dyslexia Sam learned much better from auditory stimuli and Kurt found Sam caught on faster if he explained things in detail and then broke it down even more when it came to writing things down. When they were done they talked for awhile and played Soul Caliber.

Apparently Sam was having some problems with Quinn. She refused to admit that they were dating or even in any kind of relationship. Sam didn't know what to do since he really liked Quinn and wanted to be with her. Kurt just told him to take it very slowly with Quinn and let her decide the pace of the relationship for the time being. Quinn still had to feel comfortable with a guy and Sam just had to wait for her to open up. Sam agreed, but said it wasn't so much the waiting that was getting to him it. It was the fact that no matter what he did he always ended up the bad guy somehow, even though he never really pressured her into anything beyond kissing.

Kurt didn't know what to say. After all, beyond Brittany he didn't have any experience with women. Let alone any kind of real experience in dealing with sexual matters while in a relationship. In the end all he could say was to try and bear with it. Quinn would come around in her own time. After that they talked more about themselves, but they talked about non-personal things. They ended up discussing everything that happened the year before in glee. Sam being the new guy still felt like a complete outsider being the new guy in the group. The soprano had recounted everything from the beginning.

He explained to the blonde how the group got started with only just him, Tina, Artie, Mercedes, and Rachel. Then about how Rachel was going to quit because they were so horrible and how then Finn came along. At first it was just the six of them, and Sam had a laugh about their idea to sell sex at the assembly to try and recruit new members. Kurt broke down the number they did and Sam couldn't help but wish he had been there to see it. Out of it though, Quinn had been so jealous of the idea Finn and Rachel practically getting it on, on stage in front of the entire school no less that she had joined glee to get Finn back.

It was an experience retelling his story about his short stint on the football team. He had done it all just to make his dad proud. He had asked Finn for help and they quickly found out during practice that he was a natural kicker to both their surprise. However, Finn hadn't been happy when he used his music during the try out and the entire team laughed at them until they saw Kurt kick. After that Kurt ended up teaching the whole team the dance routine with Mr. Shue and they ended up using it out on the field to win their game. When Kurt made the winning score with his kicking ability he felt so… elated because he realized in that moment that he could be anything. Plus, when he made the kick that won them the game he thought he had finally earned the teams respect.

"So what happened?" Sam asked, completely confused since the football team still treated Kurt like trash. "If you won them the game I'd figure they'd have made you MVP or something."

"Well everything was great for about fifteen minutes after the game. Finn had disappeared, probably somewhere with Quinn and I was alone with the team in the locker room. I was changing and they were all hyped up over finally winning a game. They had decided to have an impromptu victory and…"

"What happened," Sam implored, already not liking where this was going from the look on Kurt's face.

"Well… when I tried to include myself in all the fun Karofsky and Azimio said they weren't going to party with some 'homo'. They grabbed me and pulled off the rest of my uniform and threw me in the dumpster wearing nothing, but my athletic supporter."

"That's messed up! You won them the game!"

"It doesn't matter Sam. In the end all that matters is that I proved that I could do it. Once the coast was clear and the parking lot was empty I jumped out of the dumpster and ran all the way back to the locker room to get my clothes. I got dressed and went home. That night after everything with the game and all… it gave me the courage to come out to my dad."

It was the most horrifying moment of Kurt's life since he was so afraid of his dad's reaction. But, it all turned out OK since his dad had already known. After he had his dad's support Kurt became bolder and had tried to get Mr. Shue to let him audition for the 'Defying Gravity' solo. When he had become depressed his dad immediately went to the school to stick up for him. Kurt couldn't believe he was telling Sam all of this since he had never even told Mercedes the truth about the solo. He tried to skim over the rest, but Sam asked him why he had thrown the audition after everything that his father had done to get him the try out, Kurt just said he'd rather not get into it. Thankfully, Sam respected his privacy since it was an obvious sore point for his friend.

Sam listened as the previous year was broken down by Kurt. Some things made him laugh, others made him sick. He had no idea all of this had happened last year to the glee club and regardless of it all they still lost. They continued to talk and Kurt told him in full about the wager he had made with Mercedes and Artie. Sam wondered what that had been about, but didn't question Kurt at the time and had just done as asked. Sam asked Kurt if it was OK to see the portfolio since he had never seen it before though Kurt mentioned it before. After a moment of consideration Kurt let Sam see his work. Sam looked through the pages realizing why Mercedes and Artie seemed so eager to perform some of the numbers Kurt had written down. Some looked like they could be a lot of fun and the break downs of everyone's vocal range.

"How do you know everyone's voice range?"

"My mom taught me to sing and coached me vocally when I was little. To this very day I coach myself and practice my vocals. So, after a while it's easy for me to pick up on everyone's voice range."

"That's amazing. What else did she teach you?"

"Well, besides that she taught me how to cook and sew. She also got me dancing lessons."

"I didn't know you could dance. How come you never dance in glee?"

"The dancing I do isn't really good for glee club. My mom got me dancing lessons, but they were for ballroom types of dances. This summer I spent learning Spanish dancing like the Salsa, the Tango and so on. But, none of that is really any good for show choir, especially since so far we have never done any Spanish numbers. And dancing isn't really my thing; I'm more of a singer. Mike is by far the best dancer I know; he's just a born natural at it. He already dances like a professional and he's amazing at choreography already. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have won sectionals last year."

"What about everyone else though?" Sam asked. "I mean here you got most of everyone's strengths and weaknesses down."

"Well we are all different Sam," Kurt said and showed him in the book where he had broken everyone down in the portfolio. "Like the dancing for example. Mike is by far the best dancer in glee. Right now from what I've observed Mike has a more pop-n-lock style, but he is also well versed in hip hop dancing, and in ballet. Tina also does ballet, but she also does tap dancing and interpretive dancing. Now that they are both dating Tina and Mike have been kind of cross training each other in their individual dance styles since this last summer. Brittany hasn't had any dancing lessons as far as I know, but she picks everything with amazing speed. At cheerios practice she is always the one to get the routine down first, plus, she is naturally athletic and agile. That's why I put them in the top three on the list. Rachel and I are a dead even fourth since we both dance, but we focus more on singing. The list goes down from there with Finn at the bottom since he can't dance at all. It takes him forever and a lot of personal instruction from Mr. Shuester for him to keep up with the choreography."

Kurt answered more of Sam questions, finding it a relief not having to hide anything from Sam. He had kept the book for over a year and in all that time it had rarely even left his room. The only time he ever took it anywhere was when he needed to work out songs with the equipment at school. The two friends continued to discuss the book until Sam had to leave. Kurt savored the time alone since this was the only time he had really been alone since he had sprung Noah from juvie. It wasn't that he minded Noah being around it was that he was used to being able to unwind completely in his room. It was his unofficial sanctuary, but with Noah around, despite Noah supposedly being completely comfortable around him, Kurt was always on guard with his behavior. Especially since the entire Ikea incident the prior weekend.

The last thing he wanted was to push his luck with the jock any further. Kurt put on some music and began working once again on the original song he wanted to submit. His birthday was October 14th and he wanted to have the song ready by then so he could send it in that weekend. When he did all he could Kurt then decided to make some dinner for himself. Noah was out again with another girl and his dad was with Carole. Ever since the week before they had been spending more time together. Kurt was glad since it meant his plan was working. He knew how much they wanted to be together and it wouldn't take much of a push to get them back together. However, Kurt knew something was up. He couldn't figure out what, but he could feel something was going to happen. Whatever it was Kurt just hoped it was good.

When Kurt finished cooking and eating he went back to his room and started to work again on his other project he had started after last weekend. Since Sam had told Kurt about his birthday Kurt had decided to get his new friend something. He wanted it to be meaningful so he decided to make something instead of buying something for the blonde. He had used the sketch he had done of Sam as a template and had then done a second one and combined it with a poem he had written to go along with the sketch. Kurt ever the perfectionist wasn't satisfied with just that and decided to make something else to go along with the sketch.

It had taken forever to find the right material, or at least it felt like forever. Once he had gotten everything he needed he began to sew. No matter how gay some people thought sewing was, Kurt was never ashamed he knew the skill. His mother had taught him well and when she was gone he continued in the craft. Combined with his designing and fashion knowledge Kurt could make almost anything as long as he had the right materials. The skill was a godsend really since it helped him personalize all his clothes and latest fashions to suit his own personal style. Kurt continued to work completely engrossed in his task until he finally had to stop from exhaustion. He was almost done and only had some embroidery to get through. Kurt would have finished ages ago, but the design was so complicated it was really a challenge even for him not to screw it up.

Putting everything away for the night Kurt stretched out his back feeling it pop. He had been sitting in the same position for about three hours. Not even noticing the pain in his back since he was so focused on his task. Wanting to relax Kurt went to the bathroom and decided to take a nice hot bath. Filling the tub all the way and pouring in some oils and bath salts, Kurt slid into the tub with a deep sigh. Kurt loved his bathtub and immersed himself in the water. It was truly a luxury Kurt enjoyed and sadly didn't have much time for lately.

When he was done Kurt wrapped a towel around himself and exited the bathroom. Noah had apparently just got back and was already taking off all of his clothes. Kurt immediately looked away and hid behind the privacy partition. Kurt quickly pulled on his night clothes, not liking the idea of being naked with Noah standing a few feet away from him. Noah didn't even notice as he walked into the bathroom in nothing, but his boxers. Kurt noticed the scratches along his back and rolled his eyes. He really hoped Noah would eventually grow out of his promiscuity. It wasn't that Kurt was judging it was that he didn't want anything bad to happen to his friend.

Despite how tough Noah made himself out to be he knew the real man underneath was just as vulnerable as anyone else. His attempt at skipping town proved that. If anything Kurt wished he could see more of the real Noah. In the time they had spent together Kurt really came to enjoy Noah's company. Sometimes they would laugh at the most stupidest things, or they would discuss music, or a myriad of other things. But, in those times when Noah would let his so called badass persona fall away Kurt could see the real man underneath. And what he saw underneath was something he decided he wanted to see more of. As he put himself to bed he hoped Noah would be alright once he left. Of all the plans he had made to leave, Noah wasn't one of them. In fact, looking back on everything, Noah was the only thing he had never planned for, but also the one thing he was happy about.

Monday passed in an achingly slow pace since he knew his dad was going to the doctors around noon for his stress test. Kurt had wanted to go along, but his dad told him he cold take care of himself and said he shouldn't miss school. Kurt just tuned everything out around him, from the name calling to the shoving and even the classes just blurred together. Sam and Noah immediately picked up on it and asked him what was wrong. Kurt told him about his dad and how worried he was. Each of them shocked him out of his resolve when they both put there arms over his shoulders and guided them to the choir room.

At that point Kurt broke down and began to sob. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around Kurt and he gave no resistance as they did. He was only half aware that it was Noah that was holding him and not Sam. Noah held him close and Kurt buried his face in crook of Noah's shoulder and sobbed harder. Noah just allowed him to do so and rubbed calming circles in the sopranos back. When Kurt finally stopped he finally realized just where he was.

"I'm sorry… I didn't"

"It's ok Kurt… you're my boy now. Besides, I'm living with you now and I'm just as worried about Burt," Noah said as he hugged Kurt, letting his new friend bury his face into the jocks chest.

"Yeah dude," Sam joined in. "You don't have to go through this alone."

"I… it's just… what if I lose my dad," Kurt stammered and Noah just hugged him again with Sam rubbing circles in Kurt's back.

After a few minutes Kurt calmed himself down and finally let go of Noah. He looked up into Noah's eyes and saw genuine concern shining in the half backs eyes. Kurt reached up and planted a kiss on Noah cheek. Not knowing where the compulsion had come from Kurt hoped he hadn't just ended his friendship with Noah. Noah for his part was appeared to be in a kind of daze until he blinked his eyes and merely ruffled Kurt's hair. Kurt batted his hand away admonishing Noah for tampering with his perfect hair. Sam laughed and gave Kurt a hug as well. The bell suddenly rang and they each separated going to their next class once the two football players made sure Kurt was OK.

In a much better mood Kurt went about his day and met with Artie and Mercedes to begin work on the song they wanted to do. They both liked the song and Kurt gave them all the music sheets he had for it. Kurt told them that he thought their voices matched the song very well and they all worked together until their free period was over. Cheerios had gone by as usual and as soon as it was over Kurt rushed home. His dad was home along with Carole and by the looks of it the news was good. Kurt hugged his dad in relief and asked what the doctor said. The doctor said he had passed with flying colors, but was still adamant that he continue eating more healthy foods from now and that some exercise wouldn't be bad either. It was all Kurt could do not to say 'I told you so'. To celebrate Burt decided that they were gong to have their Friday family dinner at BreadStix.

Today (Tuesday) Kurt was still so happy for the good news that he didn't even notice the slurs thrown his way as he walked down the halls. At least until Azimio and Karofsky hit him with two slushies ruining one of his best Alexander McQueen ensembles. Kurt quickly changed his clothes and got into his Cheerios uniform. Since he had practice after school he decided he might as well put it on at the moment. The classes were as boring as always and as soon as he was able to he went straight to the choir room to meet up with Artie and Mercedes to put the finish touches on the song for glee tomorrow. After that it was Cheerios practice once again, which sadly got rather intense.

One of the girls was bragging about how Puck had slammed her a quick one during lunchtime and rocked her world. Santana looked like she was a hairs breath from punching the girl in the mouth. If it wasn't for Coach Sylvester keeping them busy Kurt got the impression she would have. Kurt really wanted to do something about the situation, but had no idea what to do. Santana and he weren't friends really outside of glee and Kurt wouldn't know what to do if they actually were. Once again Kurt decided it was better to leave well enough alone. He didn't want to make things even worse and the last time Kurt tried to talk to Santana things got bad enough.

After Cheerios Kurt went straight to the garage to work his shift and to brief his dad on everything that had gone on in his absence. While Kurt kept his dad apprised of everything that had been going on he hadn't been specific so as not to worry or aggravate him. When he got there, however, Kurt was met with a rather… surprising situation.

"Finn?"

"Kurt," Burt announced happily as he saw his son walk into his office.

"Hey dad," Kurt responded looking over at Finn who had on a pair of coveralls. "What's going on?"

"Oh well, Finn here was telling me about how he needed a job since he wanted to earn some more cash to take his girlfriend out to nicer places so I gave him a job."

Kurt felt like he had been smacked across the face. While he wanted his dad to spend more time with Finn he had never wanted it to be here. This was the only place he and his dad had alone together. Whether it was just the two of them together rebuilding an engine, or him working alone on a car, while his dad did the inventory, and other supervisor duties, it was always him and his dad. Ever since he was three it had just been father and son side by side. Kurt knew his mother gave him his love for music, but it was his father that gave him his love of cars. While some kids got to build tree houses with their dad Kurt had rebuilt cars and car parts, which to Kurt was even better because, it was something you never needed to out grow. And while he wanted Burt to spend time with Finn it seemed that now even here Kurt was going to be replaced by him.

"_That's what you wanted!" Kurt reminded himself, although it still hurt._

"I didn't know you were interested in cars Finn," Kurt said politely trying to keep his voice level.

"Well to be honest I don't know the first thing about cars," Finn smiled looking rather sheepish.

"Don't worry about it," Burt declared. "I'll teach you everything you'll ever need to know," Burt declared as he clapped Finn on the shoulder.

Finn smiled his big goofy grin at Burt, making Kurt's heart clench as his father proudly smiled back. Kurt just smiled also firmly setting his mask in place.

"So dad, I thought we could go over the stuff you missed out on and maybe we could finish the bodywork I have to do on the Subaru we got in the other day."

"Oh don't worry about that Kurt, Daniel can help me with that later. Right now I'm goanna show Finn around the garage and get him started," Burt declared and turned to Finn. "Think you can handle your first oil change?"

"I guess we're going to find out, huh?" Finn replied with chuckle.

"Don't look so nervous Finn; it's a lot easier than most people think. Stick with me and I'll have you fixing cars like a pro in no time."

Kurt excused himself not wanting to watch anymore of their bonding. He may have wanted his father to bond with Finn, but he didn't want to watch it either. Wanting to tune everything out Kurt just dove into his work moving with a precision that truly showed his expertise. If it was one thing Kurt had to agree with, it was that his father really knew his stuff. Kurt wouldn't be half the mechanic that he was if it hadn't been for his father.

Trying to push the thoughts of his father or the sound of them laughing together as Burt introduced Finn to the other mechanics and showed him around. Kurt just kept working and was quickly done with the body work. Once that was done he moved on and completely immersed himself in the cars that needed to be serviced. By now everyone knew Kurt's work ethics to let him be unless he asked for help. The people who knew Kurt for a long time by now knew that once the soprano became focused on a task he would focus on that alone and nothing else until he was done. Sometimes almost to an obsessive degree, and Burt would often have to get him to stop and take a break.

Which is what happened, after Kurt finished his shift, and his dad stopped him in the middle of tuning an engine. Kurt just said that he wanted to finish and took another fifteen minutes to do so. When he was done Kurt asked his dad if he was ready to go.

"Actually I'm going to stay behind. I promised Finn I'd take a look at his car so we'll be here a while longer."

"Ok then I'll leave some dinner for you in the oven in case you get home late," Kurt stated simply.

Bidding them goodbye Kurt made his exit and headed straight home. When he got there he found himself alone again. Noah was on a date he suddenly remembered and probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. Washing up thoroughly Kurt began cooking dinner on autopilot. Making sure there was enough for both Noah and his father, Kurt served himself dinner and began to eat. The silence was deafening as Kurt sat at the table alone eating. He tried not to think about the current events unfolding around, but was unable to do so and quickly lost his appetite.

Kurt cleared away all the dishes and went to his room. For a moment he thought about doing some exercising to distract himself. But, his daily workouts with the guys in the morning still wore him out and his muscles still ached from all the weight lifting he had done and all the work he had done at the garage. He almost said to hell with it and thought of using the treadmill in the garage that he used for jogging, but then decided to work on his sewing instead. Sam's gift still needed to be finished after all and he thought he could at least get that out of the way.

Taking out the material once more Kurt began working on it. The design was complex enough to demand all of the soprano's attention and eye for detail. Each time the needle passed through the fabric Kurt had to make sure it was exact. The needle work made him feel as if it was looking through a kaleidoscope as it twisted and turned in so many directions Kurt began to get dizzy just looking at it so closely. This was definitely a challenge Kurt had taken on. Each single strand had to have no ending and completely intertwine with all the rest. And that was only for the exterior part of the design.

For quite some time Kurt toiled constantly checking the designs with the sketches he had made. Inwardly he was cursing himself for making such a complex design while at the same time being grateful for the busy work. After an indeterminate amount of time Kurt let out a deep breath and looked at his finished work. He really hopped Sam liked it, but then again how could he not; it was a Kurt Hummel original. Kurt carefully took the sketch he had made and framed and placed it in a box with what he had made carefully folded over it. He wrapped it up and put it away under his bed. Kurt thought about texting Quinn, but looking at the clock he decided against it. He wanted to see if Quinn could help him with an idea for a birthday party. Deciding to talk to her tomorrow instead Kurt just tried to go to sleep instead.

Unfortunately it seemed to be a futile effort. Regardless of being exhausted sleep evaded the soprano. While his body was exhausted his mind still refused to let him rest. Every time he closed his eyes he kept seeing his father clap Finn on the back and smile at the jock as if they had been father and son since Finn was born. Sam had told him to reconsider leaving, but seeing his father and Finn together it seemed like he was right in the first place. Even though it all sounded like self pity Kurt still couldn't escape the thought that everything would be better for his dad if he left. Last year his dad had told him that all he had to do is be himself and everything would be fine. Yet, being who he was seemed like it was always the problem.

Tossing and turning until he couldn't take it anymore Kurt sat up in bed. It was just past ten o'clock and despite being exhausted he was wide awake. Wanting to shut off his mind for a while Kurt got out of bed and went upstairs to the refrigerator. He came down with a knife, a few lemons and a salt shaker. Putting down everything on the coffee table Kurt went to his closet and came back with the bottle of tequila he always kept in the fridge along with a single shot glass. Then he took the knife and quickly cut up the lemons into many small neat wedges and poured himself a shot.

Focusing on his task Kurt once again went into auto-pilot mode. When he was done, Kurt licked the space in between his thumb and forefinger and sprinkled some salt on the same area of his left hand. He then picked up a slice of lemon wedge with his left hand and picked up the shot with his right. Letting out a breath, Kurt licked the salt and quickly took the shot in one gulp and then bit into the lemon. The familiar burn washed down into his body and his mind began to calm. Repeating his actions again Kurt just tried to lose himself in the incoming haze.

-Scene break-

Noah was driving to his new home grumbling under his breath. His date that night was boring and lousy all the way through, even the sex. Melinda, or Melissa, or some crap starting with the letter M anyway. She seemed hot enough; semi decent tits, but a nice ass though. He just took her to the movies since he wasn't in the mood to hear her talk. In fact, he was never really in the mood to hear any of the chicks he banged talk at all.

Usually going to a movie was a safe bet to get them to shut up, but this one was a motor mouth. They ended up having to leave the movie early because she kept talking during the movie. The bitch just couldn't shut the hell up. And nothing she said was even the slightest bit of interest. Everything that came out of her mouth was about dolls she collected since she was a kid, or her plans to be an actress after high school, or about some other crap he just tuned out after a while. She just wouldn't stop talking and it was driving him crazy.

Finally, he took her home and made it to her bedroom. As soon as she closed the door he kissed her just to shut her up. Noah didn't know if she was just inexperienced or some other shit, but she was a lousy kisser. The bitch just slid her tongue in his mouth and did nothing. She just let her tongue sit there like a dead clam in his mouth. Deciding to speed things along Noah quickly ripped of her clothes and got her on her bed. He then whipped out his cock wanting to get some oral, hoping her mouth was good for something. Apparently it wasn't since she just looked at him strangely as if expecting him to do something. Losing his patience he told her to suck him off, wondering what this chick's problem was.

Noah sighed in relief as he felt her lips wrap around Puckasuarus only to find the relief premature. After a few seconds in her mouth the half back let out a grunt of pain as he felt the insides of her teeth scrape his junk. He pushed her off his dick before she made things worse and rubbed his head and shaft to ease the pain away. Fed up, Noah didn't bother to go down on her since she didn't deserve any foreplay after almost taking a bite out of Puckzilla. He just grabbed her legs and pulled her towards him at the edge of the bed.

What followed was the worst fuck of his life. Doing her was like fucking a corpse. She didn't move or say anything; a completely cold fish. The bitch lay there making Noah do all the work, if it wasn't for her breathing and the occasional grunt Noah would have thought she was a dead body. Wanting to end this disaster Noah increased his speed and came as fast as he could. When he did he quickly pulled up his pants and looked for his discarded shirt. A few moments while he was looking she started yammering again about some Betty Boop doll she wanted to buy online. Snatching his shirt off the floor he didn't even bother putting it on as he just grabbed his jacket that was lying next to it and left her there.

It was times like this he almost regretted kicking Santana to the curb. Despite all the bullshit she pulled he couldn't deny that she knew how to fuck. The sex between them was always fun and smoking hot. If things were different he would text her right now and go over to her place for some real satisfaction. But, if there was one thing stronger than his need to get off it was his pride. There was no way Puck would go crawling back to Santana even if it was for some much needed mind blowing sex.

Although, lately when he now thought of mind blowing sex Santana wasn't the only one he would think about. Ever since he went to Ikea with Kurt he couldn't stop thinking about what the soprano had told him. While he had a lot of trouble believing what Kurt had told him for some reason he couldn't get it out of his mind. Or rather he couldn't get his reaction to it all out of his mind. Hummel had given him a huge hard on, with nothing more than his words. The only one who had ever been able to do that was Santana with her sexting.

But, with Kurt it wasn't the same. In those few moments Kurt had stirred something within him that left him completely speechless. It wasn't so much about _what_ he had said to get him hard that was bothering him. What was bothering him was that there was something, in Kurt's voice, in that moment, that… that touched something inside of him. Noah hadn't realized it at the time, being more concerned with his erection and his embarrassment, but as he kept replaying what Kurt had described what he could do there was something Noah couldn't identify underneath it all. It wasn't until Kurt broke down in front of him that last Monday that he felt it again.

He had truly surprised himself when he actually held Kurt in his arms. The last time he had ever held anyone like that or even allowed anyone to hug him beside his sister Sarah, was the night Beth had been born. Quinn was so distraught over her choice to give Beth away and his begging for her to reconsider had just broken her down. As she cried Noah realized for the first time just how terrible of a mess he had made. When he had told Quinn that it wasn't just some random hook up, he had told her the truth. Puck had been in love with Quinn for a long time, but Finn had snatched her away before he ever had the chance to even ask her out. When Quinn asked at the hospital if he ever truly loved her he had told her the truth, and in that moment when she smiled at him, he thought that maybe the three of them had some kind of chance to be a family. But, that's just not how things ended.

This time when he held Kurt as the soprano sobbed he realized a part of what he had felt from Kurt from Kurt in Ikea. Kurt was… lonely. All the time he had spent with Kurt had come together like a jigsaw puzzle as Kurt sobbed into his chest. In the fear of losing his dad Kurt had let his walls come down letting Noah see for the first time the real Kurt Hummel. Beyond his constant claims and air of superiority Kurt was just as insecure and lost as he was on the inside. When he had lost Beth and Quinn had rejected him it was the worst moment of his life. After Quinn had told him to leave he had gone home and just crawled into bed. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and while he had held Quinn as she cried, no one was there to hold him. He had broken down and cried like a baby, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. As he lay there crying no one was there to hold him and tell him, honestly, how much they loved him, just like he had for Quinn.

Kurt had told him about what Quinn had truly felt and for that he would always be grateful. Last week he had managed to talk to Quinn and tell her truth about what he had truly felt for her. She thanked him for his honesty and they were at least on better terms. Maybe if he had done so earlier instead of trying to steal an ATM he would be her boyfriend now instead of Sam. But, that boat had sailed, and at least Sam seemed like a decent guy. Settling things with Quinn had eased most of the pain away, but he still felt completely alone. Sex was the only thing that made him feel better even just slightly, and now that he didn't have Santana on call for a good lay times like this really frustrated the hell out of him. That last chick was just horrible and the sex was so bad he had no outlet for his emotions.

But, if he was honest with himself that wasn't exactly true. Lately, once again because of Kurt, he had been spending time with Artie and the two got along much better than he would have ever thought possible. He and Artie had a lot in common and they both loved to jam together on their guitars and had similar tastes in music. The week before he had actually gone back to Artie's house after football practice and they both had a very loud jam session together along with Sam. The three had done some awesome wailing on their guitars that is until Artie's mom had told them to turn it down. It was surprising, but he had a blast and it made him feel better. Once again Kurt had been right and it was disturbing how easy Kurt could read him.

Being with Kurt made feel better as well, since despite how different they were Kurt somehow always managed to make him laugh. Kurt was becoming what Finn was always supposed to be, his… best friend. The guy had his back and he made no pretence otherwise. Finn had tried to tell Kurt to ditch him and instead of giving in to his former crush he had defended the half back. The guy had actually asked him if he wanted to keep their living together a secret for as long as possible. That way he would have to take any crap from people at school. And when he was about to skip town Kurt once again helped him see reason. It wasn't so much what he had said that made him stay it was the fact that Kurt had cried over him leaving. The guy he used to torment and throw in the dumpster like a piece of garbage had actually shed tears about his leaving.

Once again something about Kurt just stirred something inside of him and he just didn't understand what that was. To pay him back for everything he had run interference with the jocks and along with Sam he had stopped most of their attempts to bully Kurt. Kurt still had the occasional slip since neither of them could be around him every second, but by now the jocks knew they had to work even harder to get to the resident fag of Lima. When he saw the hate in all their eyes he was disgusted with himself for ever being like them. In fact, he never had a problem with gay dudes, he just enjoyed bullying people and Kurt was an easy target. After he joined glee he got a taste of his own medicine and he realized how wrong he had been. He hadn't thrown anyone in a dumpster since then with the exception of those who had deserved it.

All these thoughts Noah pushed aside as he pulled into the driveway of his new home. He quietly went in hoping not to run in to Burt since he was coming back pretty late. Everything was quiet and he went into the kitchen to look for something to eat. He saw some food already made that Kurt had put out for him. Noah made quick work of the food, not even realizing how hungry he was until he had started eating. As soon as he finished he headed down stairs surprised to find Kurt sitting on the couch doing shots of liquor. Immediately Noah knew something was wrong since despite Kurt's large liquor stash he knew the soprano rarely drank except on special occasions. Or… as Kurt had confided in the jock the week prior, he drank when he was feeling down. By the looks of it Kurt wasn't doing very well.

"Hey," Noah greeted as he walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Hey," Kurt replied with a half smile, as he twirled a bitten lemon wedge. "So how did your date go?"

"Bad," Noah replied as he sat down next to his friend.

"What… happened?" Kurt asked slowly, clearly very tipsy.

Noah looked at the bottle and saw half of it was already gone.

"The chick was a total cold fish. She didn't know what the hell to do with Puckzilla."

Kurt just chuckled and poured another shot and handed it to Noah.

"Then you need this… as much as I do it seems."

"Thanks," Noah said as he downed the shot.

Noah coughed as the liquid burned his throat making Kurt laugh. Kurt clapped Noah on the back good naturedly, and proceeded to show Noah how to drink tequila properly. Noah did as instructed and after four shots he was able to down the drink without much trouble.

"So what happened to you?"

Kurt stayed quite for a while making Noah wonder if he even heard the question until he finally spoke.

"I was thinking about last year."

"What about it?"

"I was thinking… about the mess I made… with my stupid crush on Finn."

"I'm so sick of this bullshit about Finn," Noah spat. "He gets everything! He always gets the girl, the sympathy, the friends, everything! What the hell is it about him that everyone loves?"

Kurt just rolled his eyes since the idea of _loving_ the quarterback was now a joke to him.

"Do you really want the truth?" Kurt asked as Noah downed another shot.

"Yeah, I do want to know," Noah answered as he poured himself another shot and downed it quickly.

Kurt just stayed silent, with Noah looking at him expectedly for an answer. Noah could see Kurt was struggling against the effect of the tequila and just waiting for his friend to either come up with an answer or pass out.

"Last year… you and Finn were walking down the hall together. You bumped into me on purpose… slamming me into the lockers. Finn… Finn… he chastised you. In that moment I thought… I thought… that maybe there was more to him. I thought that he was more than just some… dumb jock. That's when my crush on him started."

Noah just stayed silent listening to Kurt reveal things he obviously wouldn't have under sober circumstances.

"Ever since then I was… totally infa… infatuated with Finn. And I thought that maybe if I tried hard enough… he might feel the same. But, it was… it was all… pointless. You see… Finn has this cute… vulnerable… naïve puppy dog… persona. It's like he's a… all adorable and… chivalrous. Like he's this… white shining knight in armor. And… whenever he screws up… or does something wrong… he just looks all sad and he makes you feel like it's… somehow… your own entire fault. Because he is such a… great… nice guy… and somehow you're… you're… the bad guy for telling him off… or telling him the truth."

Noah almost laughed when Kurt called Finn a puppy dog. Despite the incoherent rambling Noah agreed with Kurt. The guy was spot on.

"You know when Finn joined glee I gave him a ton of crap about it. And then when you joined the team I told him you didn't belong on the team with us," Noah admitted.

"You were right," Kurt said sadly. "I was an idiot for even trying. I… I only did it… cause I wanted… I just wanted to do something… my dad could be proud of."

"Kurt… look I… I was wrong… I was wrong about you… I was wrong about… everything. I'm… Kurt I'm… I'm sorry… I'm really sorry."

Noah didn't know if it was really him saying that or the tequila, since he never once gave anyone an apology in years. But, in the end he found he didn't care and that he really was sorry. He remembered the whole thing and all of the problems he gave Kurt the year before when he joined the team. And even after Kurt won them the game he was too hung up over Quinn to really care about anything. But, he had heard all of the guys the next day laughing about what they did to Kurt after the game. After everything Kurt did for the team he never would have done that. Kurt hadn't deserved it, but Noah never did anything about it either once he found out the next day.

"Don't worry about it Noah. I'm used… I'm used to it."

"I know what happened after the game. If I was there... I would have stopped them. It wasn't cool, especially after everything you did to get us that win."

"It's… it's in the past now. You weren't the one who did it… so it wasn't your fault."

"After the game… when you made the winning score and the crowd went wild… I saw Quinn kissing Finn and I just took off. Finn told me she was pregnant because Finn had told me. I knew he couldn't be the father since Quinn was a virgin when we did it. I told her I'd take care of the baby and her, but she said I was a Lima loser and I would always be one. The only reason I even joined glee in the first place was to get her to see that she was wrong about me. But, all she wanted was Finn, even though she knew it was mine."

"It's all Finn and Rachel's fault," Kurt stated.

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything… started when Rachel started going after Finn. She knew Finn was Quinn's boyfriend. But, like always… she doesn't care… about anyone, but herself. And Finn, he's not… chi… chivalrous at all. He kept… lying to Quinn about what was… going on… between him and Rachel. If he had been… a real… a real man about it… and told Quinn the truth… Everything would have been better. The only reason… Quinn ever joined glee… was to try and get Finn back. Even though it was wrong… she used the whole baby thing… to try and get him back. But, at that point she did it more… because she was scared… than wanting Finn back. As soon as Rachel… found out you were the dad… she took her chance to steal Finn away. But, you Noah… your… you… you at least tried to tell the truth and take… response… responsibility."

Kurt seemed to be trying to piece his words together and was explaining everything slowly, with Noah just listening. Noah had stopped drinking shots and was listening to Kurt in rapt attention.

"And Quinn was just trying to protect herself, but she never wanted to hurt… anyone. Finn and Rachel… they didn't care about who they hurt. They just… went after… they took whatever they wanted. If Rachel never went after Finn, Quinn wouldn't have been so depressed and maybe she might not have slept… with you… and got pregnant. All Quinn wanted was for Finn to love her… and he... he treated her like… she was second best. And if Finn had just told Quinn the truth about… how he felt… maybe you and Quinn would have… would have had a chance to be… together. Now that… I see Finn for what he… really is I am… so… embarrass was stupid enough… to think he was worth my time... Finn… Finn is… the wrong guy to want… for anyone. Rachel and Finn deserve each other."

Kurt finished his tirade and blinkingly looked at Noah. His friend was still just staring at him and Kurt wondered what was wrong. After a long moment of silence Noah poured another shot and passed it to Kurt.

"No more," Kurt said. "I already… had too much. I got to drink some… water. If I don't… I'll have a bad… hangover tomorrow."

"Suit yourself," Noah said as he downed the shot and then closed the bottle.

Noah watched as Kurt got up shakily and slowly walked to the mini fridge for a bottle of water. Kurt dropped himself back on the coach almost sliding off, making Noah laugh. Kurt punch Noah in the arm, which made Noah laugh all the harder. Kurt took a pull of the water and watched as Noah stood up and began to take off all of his clothes.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said suddenly without warning.

"What for?" Noah asked, pausing as he unzipped his pants.

"Everyone… everyone was wrong about you… I was wrong about you Noah. You're… a great guy… I shouldn't have… if… I should have tried to see that sooner. I should have seen… the truth sooner. You're a better Finn will probably ever be… I mean… you're a better… man than Finn will probably ever be."

Noah just looked at Kurt, not really knowing what to say. He was obviously drunk and Noah didn't know what to say, especially with Kurt looking so sad.

"It wasn't your fault Kurt. I was a complete douche to you and I still don't understand how you could try to be my friend after everything I did to you."

"My mom told me to…"

Noah just looked at Kurt like he was crazy or maybe the liquor was finally driving the soprano into the deep end.

"Uh… Kurt… your moms…"

"My mom… she told me when… when I was little… to follow my heart. Mr. Shue told us you were… locked up. Finn didn't even seem to care. It bothered me… Even after everything that happened… you didn't deserve to go to jail. You didn't deserve that. When I saw the newspaper… my heart told me I had to get you out of there."

Noah just didn't know what to say. He knew Kurt would never tell him any of this if he was sober and he didn't know what to say to the guy. Noah finished taking off his clothes and sat back on the couch by Kurt.

"Your mom sounds really cool," Noah finally said.

"I miss her," Kurt whispered. "I wish she was here… because she always… knew how to make things better."

Tears started to fall from Kurt's eyes and he furiously wiped them away, obviously trying to keep what little composure he had left. Noah wrapped his arm around the shorter man and Kurt just leaned into him quietly. They stayed like that for awhile until Kurt finished his bottle of water. Kurt then said he should get some sleep and broke away from his friend. He excused himself and went to use the bathroom before turning in. Although, Kurt made Noah laugh when Kurt looked over his shoulder and told Noah to pick up his clothes.

-End Chapter-

-Important Notice-

OK everyone here is the next chapter. I'm sorry for the late update, but I had a bad case of writers block and a lot of personal business kept me busy. Now as I said in my last chapter I am thinking of abandoning this story. In the end I've decided to let you be the judge. Let me know what you think and I'll decide from that.

On a related note I want to explain further about Kurt's role in my story. I got one review that claimed I was making the story into a total Mary Sue story. Firstly, I want to say thank you for the honest criticism and I always appreciate a well thought out opinion. Looking over everything I do agree with you a bit about Kurt's character, but I was only building upon things from the show with a few certain exceptions. The only things I added to Kurt's repertoire of skills were the gymnastics, the bartending, and the sex of course. If you look at the show you can really see how talented he is. In the duets episode he was able to pull of the 'Le Jazz Hot' number down in only a day of preparation. He got all the cheerios together and chose the song and the choreography. Not to mention the costumes. Then once again in the wedding episode Kurt plans an entire wedding in less than a week almost totally by himself. And he taught both his dad and Finn how to dance. As far as the designing goes, you really have to pay close attention to Kurt's style as he wears runway fashions, but they are all modified by himself personally to suit him and his individuality better. The cooking I also got the idea from was from the duets episode where you see Kurt serving his dad vegan food he had made himself. And on that note I would also like to point out that Kurt was taking care of his father, which I also put in my story. Burt might be an adult, but that doesn't mean Kurt try take care of him. You see it in the show yourself when Kurt does so. Now as far as his singing goes, in the episode 'Wheels' when he trained himself vocally on that high F note, I got the idea to add more to it. Singers train themselves all the time on their vocals and even have vocal coaches to give them singing lessons. You see this in the show last season when Rachael coaches Finn in the earlier episode of season one. And as far as him soundly like both a girl and a boy if you watch the show closely there are some instances where Kurt sounds far more masculine in his singing, which is where I took my cue from. While I agree I might be overdoing it a bit everything I put down does seem at least plausible. As for his attitude I explained before he thinks he's leaving so he is telling everyone what he thinks. In this chapter I believe I already address the consequences of his actions. He is not invincible and Kurt despite his brave front is hurting inside. Hence why he made the decision to leave in the first place. However, I do agree once again that it's all a bit out of character to so I added the OOC warning to the list.

Also, once again despite how things are going this is NOT a Finn bashing story. Like I said before Finn has some growing up to do. You see this even in the show when he refuses to stick up for Kurt, despite the fact that they were practically brothers. Not everything is black and white; you just got to look deeper and see their motivations.

Well anyway, I want to thank all of my readers for their patience and their kind words. If this chapter is to be my last I want to thank you all for your reviews and your time. I would also like to thank LalaTink for all her help and encouragement.


	7. My Plans Are Like… Wo or You Make Me

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: My Plans Are Like… Wo or You Make Me Feel…

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: LaLaTink

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides it's time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin chapter-

The pain in Kurt's head is what finally forced him awake, even though he valiantly tried to ignore the alarm clock.

"Turn it off!" he heard Noah call out finally from his bed.

Kurt rolled over and slammed his hand on the off button silencing the offending noise. Kurt looked at the clock and knew he had to get up if he was going to meet up with Artie and Sam. Kurt stumbled to the bathroom and began to take care of his morning routine. He let out a sigh as he let the water from the shower run down his body. It helped take the edge off from the hangover. Apparently the water he drank before going to sleep wasn't enough to dilute all of the alcohol he had drank the night before.

The memory of everything that had happened yesterday was starting to come back to him. He felt like kicking himself for saying everything he had to Noah. Even though he had meant everything he said and told the truth the last thing he needed was any more drama. Getting out of the shower Kurt dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist tightly. He took a few aspirin from the medicine cabinet and swallowed them dry. They should have been taken with water, but he just didn't care at the moment.

Stepping out of the bathroom Kurt was surprised to find Noah at the door. For a moment neither said a word to the other and just looked awkwardly at one another.

"Hangovers suck don't they," Noah finally said.

"Yeah," Kurt stated simply not knowing what else to say.

"You… you goanna be ok?" Noah asked, obviously not meaning the hangover.

"Noah… about what I said… I'm sorry. I was having a really bad day yesterday and I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that."

"Kurt it's cool. You didn't say anything wrong dude. And I told you, you're my boy now."

"Thanks Noah, that really means a lot to me."

"No prob. Now come on, we got to meet the guys and you can't keep hogging the bathroom."

Kurt just smiled and rolled his eyes at his friend. He went into the closet to get ready for the day while Noah used the bathroom. Picking out his clothes he quickly got dressed. Then he grabbed two extra sets of clothes since he needed to replenish his supply of clothes in his locker. Packing everything he would need for the day in his bag including the portfolio, Kurt went upstairs to get some food together for Noah and something small for himself. His stomach didn't feel up to solid food right now and his head was still pounding. He needed to drink more fluids to alleviate the dehydration his drinking had caused. But, he also knew he needed to eat something since it would be bad to exercise without eating something for energy first. Grabbing a bit of granola with yogurt and some juice he then headed back down stairs.

Noah had gotten out of the shower by then and was now standing completely naked in the closet with his towel around his shoulder. Kurt let out a startled yelp and quickly turned around thankful that Noah was facing away from him. Noah looked over his shoulder and saw Kurt trying to face away from him and chuckled at the soprano's bashfulness.

"What's wrong Kurt?" Noah asked, playing innocent.

"Put something on already!"

"For someone who claims to know all about sex you sure are squeamish," Noah laughed, wrapping the towel around his waist.

"Unlike you _I _actually have a sense of propriety!" Kurt stated indignantly.

"You can look now," Noah replied coyly, enjoying every moment of Kurt's discomfort.

Kurt very slowly turned around not really trusting Noah to cover up and play some mean trick on him. Seeing Noah in a towel Kurt demanded that he put on some clothes.

"Dude you are such a prude!" Noah laughed. "You never have this much of a problem in the locker room."

"I don't change in the locker room," Kurt reminded the jock seriously.

Noah stopped laughing and suddenly realized Kurt was right. He couldn't remember Kurt at all in the locker room at school anymore, not even for gym class. Kurt hadn't used the locker room since half way through the year last year. Before Noah had joined the glee club he and the rest of the guys always gave Kurt a hard time in the locker room. The guys didn't like a fag in there with them and made sure Kurt knew it. They would make fun of him or laugh at his white fluffy bathrobe and more. Kurt would of course ignore it all with his usual act of cool superiority. Finally one day, Noah and the guys stole all of Kurt's clothes and threw them all in a toilet after three of the biggest football players had used it.

"Look I'm going to wait in the truck. We don't want to keep the guys waiting," Kurt said and promptly grabbed his bags and walked up the stairs.

In the kitchen Kurt took some aspirin and drank some more water hoping his headache would subside sooner. He then went out to the truck and waited for Noah. Kurt closed his eyes and leaned his head on the window trying to release some tension. A few minutes later Noah showed up and climbed into the drivers' seat. Neither of the two spoke for a while until Noah broke the silence.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry Noah. Just because I feel like crap right now doesn't mean I should take everything out on you. Although, I wish you wouldn't walk around in the nude in the morning."

"It's cool man. And besides, I know you like what you see," Noah smirked.

"I swear your ego keeps growing at the rate of a malignant tumor."

"Oh come on, no one can resist my hot body. What I don't get is why you're such a prude about it. You leave the room anytime I take off my clothes or take a shower. And when _you_ have to change or whatever you either lock yourself in the bathroom or you go upstairs."

Kurt sighed and just stayed quiet for a moment. Noah just looked over at him waiting for an answer.

"After what happened last year with Finn… Well, I don't want to take any chances. I know you say you have no problem with me, but I just don't want anything bad to happen."

"Kurt, I'm not Finn," Noah stated roughly.

Noah really felt like beating the crap out of Finn right now. He knew Kurt would never make a move on him; he just liked to tease the guy. Maybe he had taken it too far, but he never would have hurt Kurt or have done anything bad. Hell, he loved people looking at him, he was hot, and everyone was going to acknowledge that, man or woman. But, there was something else going on that Kurt hadn't revealed. Something must have happened yesterday to drive the soprano to get drunk.

"I know you're not Finn, but despite everything I don't want to freak you out or something bad to happen."

"You are such a drama queen," Noah rolled his eyes.

"I am not!"

"Kurt, I don't care if you look at me or whatever. I'm a stud, as far as I'm concerned everyone should be down on their knees worshiping my sexy body and my badassness."

"Oh please! I already have a pounding headache, don't make me vomit also," Kurt retorted.

They both just laughed and bantered back forth with each other.

"So could you ease up on all of this already?"

"Fine, but if you are going to get _completely_ naked do it in the bathroom, or if you're getting dressed, close the closet door."

"Deal," Noah agreed. "But, what happened yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked, not wanting to go into detail about his problems.

"Finn is the stupid one Kurt, not me. You were sitting in the dark getting wasted. You almost finished a whole bottle of tequila by yourself. And you kinda went off about Finn. So, what happened? Did he try to start shit with you again?"

"No, Finn… He didn't really do anything. I was just having a bad day."

"Tell you what then, are you doing anything tonight?"

"I'm officially broke until next week. I don't get paid until Friday, so until then I can't go out anywhere since I have no cash."

"Have you ever played pool?"

"No, I never played it before. I've gone bowling a few times though with Mercedes and Tina."

"Alright then tonight after school I'm going to take you out for some fun."

"You don't have to do that," Kurt insisted.

"Hey we both could use some fun. And I need some good company to erase the shitty night I just had."

"Oh now I feel really special," Kurt replied.

"You should," Noah just replied with a wink.

"Fine, but nothing too extravagant. I don't want you to waste too much of your money."

"That's shocking; I thought you'd want those big fancy three course meals and stuff."

"Well, I admit all that stuff is really nice, but even I have to admit its super impractical. After a while it really eats up your wallet. The whole candlelight dinner at expensive restaurants, and going to big fancy shows or whatever should be more for special occasions. In the end I'm more of a simple kind of guy. If I had a boyfriend I'd love to just spend the evening in. You know, just curl up on the coach together and watch movies. Or I could make us a nice private romantic meal at home and I could put some soft music in the background so we could dance together. If we want to go out we could have a nice picnic in the park, or go see a movie. " Kurt explained with a faraway look on his face.

"That is so gay," Noah laughed.

Kurt responded by giving the jock a swift punch in the arm.

"Hey I'm driving!" Noah yelled although he still laughed.

"Jerk!" Kurt laughed along with his friend.

They continued to laugh as they drove and finally made it to the school parking lot. Artie and Sam where already there and waiting on the duo.

"Sorry we were late guys," Kurt said as he walked up to them with Noah at his side still chuckling.

"It's cool, we haven't been waiting long," Sam answered, looking between them.

Kurt just stayed silent and smirked as they made their way to the weight room. They went on with their already established routine, with Sam carefully spotting Artie and Noah spotting Kurt, switching back and forth. Kurt really had to force himself to keep going as his achingly slow dissipating hangover was still giving him problems. Seeing his difficulty Noah made sure Kurt didn't hurt himself with the weights. He almost told his friend to stop, but he knew Kurt wouldn't want Artie and Sam to know he was hung over.

"How much do we have to increase by?" Artie asked once they were done.

"You're already getting used to the fifteen pounders. On Monday I want to see if you guys can handle the twenties," Sam said.

Artie groaned, obviously not liking the idea.

"Come on man, you're doing it. It's only been a week and you've already gotten stronger. If it's too much we can switch back and you can stay on the fifteen for a little longer," Sam informed.

"Yeah ok, but it already feels like my arms are about to fall off," Artie said dejectedly.

"Don't be so discouraged," Kurt cut in. "We told you this wasn't going to be easy, but just remember it will be worth it in the end."

"Easy for you to say Kurt, you're already ripped," Artie said.

"Actually you two are still pretty even," Sam informed.

"Yeah, totally," Noah chimed in.

"Kurt has more endurance and he's already pretty cut since he does so much gymnastics. But, Kurt still has a long way to go before he bulks up like me and Puck. You already have a lot of upper body strength since it's the only part of your body you actually use. So you're already stronger than Kurt is."

When the work out was over, they went to class as usual. Kurt remembered he had to talk to Quinn about doing something for Sam's birthday. He sent her a quick text message asking her to meet him before lunch. Not knowing whether or not Quinn was planning something already for her man's birthday, he wanted to make sure either way before he did anything himself.

_Quinn – What's up?_

_Kurt – I need to talk you. Can we meet up next period?_

_Quinn – I'll be in the gymnastic room next period._

_Kurt – Thanx, I'll c u there._

Going to his next class, which turned out to be Spanish, Kurt handed in his report to Mr. Shue and sat down. Mr. Shue had decided to give them a pop quiz making the class groan. As soon as the bell rang Kurt handed in his paper and took off for the gymnastic room. Quinn was apparently working on her back handspring, which for some reason made Kurt smile. Ever since she was re-appointed head cheerleader she had been working even harder to keep her spot on top of the squad.

"Hey Quinn," Kurt greeted.

"What's up Kurt?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I really need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"Well you see I wanted to know if you had any plans with Sam for his birthday," Kurt explained.

"Wait, what? I didn't know it was his birthday," Quinn blinked in confusion.

"I guess he never mentioned it to you then," Kurt said hoping he hadn't caused yet another problem. "I figured you might be planning something since he is your boyfriend and I wanted to ask before I did anything."

"Sam is _not_ my boyfriend," Quinn said defensively.

Kurt almost had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything sarcastic.

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could all do something. But, now that you know it's going to be his birthday soon, do you want to do something else instead? Something for just the two of you, something romantic maybe?" Kurt inquired, trying to gauge her reaction.

"I'm… not sure. When exactly is his birthday?"

"His birthday is next week. September 29th next Wednesday. I already made him a gift, but since he is new here I was thinking of maybe trying to have a party or something."

"Well, it sounds like a good idea, but where would we have the party?"

"That's why I almost nixed the idea, I can't think of anyplace. I would have done it at my house, but with it being so soon after my dad's heart attack I don't want to have a huge crowd of hormonal teenagers trashing the place."

"Yeah that wouldn't be such a good idea," Quinn agreed.

"How about I just bake a cake and the glee club can surprise him with a small get together in the choir room. After that maybe you and Sam can go out for the night just the two of you," Kurt suggested.

Quinn seemed to be thinking it over, which Kurt was grateful for. He really hoped she would take the bait and do something with Sam. It might be the push she needed to advance their relationship and it wouldn't hurt if they spent some time together.

"It sounds like a great idea, but what would we end up doing? We've already been to BreadStix a bunch of times and I can't think of anywhere else to go."

"Well, we could try to find something. In fact…" Kurt drifted off trying to remember something Sam said.

"What?" Quinn finally said.

"Well it might not be to your tastes, but there is this monster truck rally happening next week. I was thinking about going, but I won't have the cash to buy tickets. How about you take Sam to that? Afterwards you guys can do something quieter and maybe a bit romantic."

"That sounds perfect!"

Quinn immediately loved the idea and Kurt told her that he would send her an email with all of the info so she could buy the tickets. She agreed and thanked Kurt for letting her know. Soon after it was lunchtime and Kurt headed to the cafeteria along with Quinn. His headache had finally subsided and the morning workout had brought back his appetite. After getting some food they both saw Sam sitting with Artie, Mercedes, and Noah and joined them.

"Hey guys," Kurt greeted his friends and they all replied in kind.

"I can't wait for glee today," Mercedes announced excitedly.

"Totally," Artie agreed. "Hopefully we will prove to Mr. Shue we got what it takes for more solos."

"I here that," Mercedes agreed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Quinn asked.

"I and Mercedes have been working on a song together for glee."

"That's great, what are you guys going to sing?"

"Sorry girl, but you got to wait and see," Mercedes said with a big smile.

"I can't wait," Quinn declared.

During all this Kurt noticed Sam looked rather depressed and was just moving his food on his tray around instead of actually eating.

"You ok Sam?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I just got some bad news," Sam answered finally looking up from his food.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked immediately.

"Coach Beiste just told me she's keeping Finn as the starting QB."

"Oh Sam," Quinn began.

"That sucks," Artie agreed. "We got another game tomorrow night."

"That's too bad dude," Noah declared.

"That's outrageous! I can't believe she didn't give you the position back. I mean the only reason you even got hurt in the first place was because Finn changed Coach Beiste's play" Kurt stated with absolute conviction and certainty.

"Yeah, but since he was the quarterback last year and the team is still winning without me on the field Coach Beiste decided to keep him," Sam explained.

"That's terrible Sam; I know how much you worked for that position. At this point you really do deserve it more than Finn does. With all the exercising and the plays you go through you were the better quarterback." Kurt said.

"Thanks you guys," Sam said feeling slightly better that all his hard work had at least been noticed by his friends. "But, I'm not giving up yet. I'm gonna keep working on it and try to get the position back."

"Well I'll still be cheering for you tomorrow night then," Quinn said in support.

The rest of the lunch went by and everyone agreed to meet up later in the choir room since they all had study hall for the last period. Kurt went to his locker to get his geometry book only to find Azimio and Karofsky waiting for him with slushies at the ready. Doused in the sticky corn syrup drink Kurt was forced to go and wash up and change his clothes. By the time he was done he had missed class altogether. He would have to ask Artie for any of the work he had missed. Kurt went back to his locker and got his U.S. history book and went to class without any interference this time. They were still covering the civil war and were given a paper to write. Even Kurt had to groan along with the class as he really didn't want to deal with anymore school work. When he was done with class Kurt went straight to the choir room to meet up with everyone else. Artie and Mercedes were already there along with Brittany, Sam, and Noah.

"Hey Kurt, I didn't see you in class earlier," Artie commented.

"Yeah I had to de-slushy myself after lunch and I ended up missing class," Kurt explained. "Can you fill me in on what I missed after glee?"

"No prob," Artie replied.

"So you guys ready?" Kurt asked.

"You know we are," Mercedes said, "Although, I still don't see why we couldn't do the Carmen Jones number instead."

"Mercedes we've been through this already. We couldn't do that number because we would need all the guys to help out. Plus, you're not ready for it yet," Kurt explained.

"Boo, by now you know my chocolate thunder can handle anything," Mercedes admonished.

"No, you don't get it girl, I'm not talking about just your voice," Kurt explained.

"Who's Carmen Jones?" Sam asked, not following the reference.

"Carmen Jones was a play that was later turned into a musical film in 1954 by Otto Preminger starring Dorothy Dandridge. The film was a big hit and because of it Dorothy Dandridge became the first black woman ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for best Actress," Kurt explained with his usual expertise on musicals.

"Yeah, and I still say you should have let me try it," Mercedes insisted.

"Girl I told you, you're not ready yet. If you want to do the number it's about more than just your voice."

"Then what is then, 'cause I'm telling you right now my voice can bring it."

"Like I said it's not about your voice," Kurt reiterated.

"Then what is it then?" Mercedes pushed.

"It's about the portrayal of the character Cedes. Remember last year when Sylvester was on your case about your Cheerios uniform and you said you were afraid to wear those short skirts because you would cause a sex riot?" Kurt began to explain. "That's exactly what you want to cause; a sex riot. When you see Carmen Jones, immediately everyone thinks of sex. I mean the way she moves, the way she walks it's all about sex and power. When you do the number "Dat's Love" you have to exude sexual energy. But, at the same time while you're this storm of sexual energy and you got all these guys fighting over you practically crawling on their hands and knees just to look at you, you are in total control. You are like the eye of the storm and you enjoy just turning all these guys into your playthings. They could light themselves on fire, but _you_ never lose your cool, because you're the one with the control."

At this point Noah broke into laughter making everyone look in his direction.

"What's so funny?" Kurt asked rather annoyed.

"Oh come on" Noah said still laughing. "Like you actually expect any of us to believe you know anything about sex appeal. I'm the sex shark of Lima and I can do a better job of turning people on than you can."

"Is that really what you think?" Kurt asked with a certain edge in his voice.

Noah just nodded with a big smile not trusting himself not to laugh at the angry look on Kurt and Mercedes faces the moment he opened his mouth.

"Well then, let it never be said I didn't rise to the challenge," Kurt declared and dove into his bag.

The soprano pulled out his portfolio and mp3 player. He looked through the book opening it up to a song he thought Santana could sing well. Once he found the song he was looking for he called Brittany over and asked her for some back up. He whispered things to her so that the rest couldn't hear. Brittany just nodded and cast a look over at Artie with a very big smile. Kurt then jacked his mp3 player into the portable stereo the glee club used when the band wasn't available. He pressed play and took his place in front of the room with Brittany beside him as the music began and slowly advancing towards Noah, looking him in right in the eye and began to sing.

_Kurt:_

_See, Noah  
I know you done had your share of girls  
I am more than confident  
You won't ever have to search any streets for  
affection  
I got you_

Kurt and Brittany began to dance slowly to the music with Brittany slowly advancing towards Artie and Kurt going in Noah's direction. The movements were slow at first, but were becoming more… provocative as they each drew closer to their targets.

_Kurt:_

_What kind of girl you like  
I know my looks can be deceivin'  
Tell me am I your type  
My main goal is to please you_

What's on the schedule tonight  
Am I the reason you'll be treatin'  
I hope you have an appetite  
So tell me, baby, will you come and spend the night

Now they were both in front of their assigned man and as the chorus began, they each sang together and began to dance very erotically.

_Brittany & Kurt:_

_My love is like...wo  
My kiss is like...wo  
My touch is like...wo  
My sex is like...wo  
My ass is like...wo  
My body's like...wo  
And you're kissin' it  
So what you think of it_

My love is like...wo  
My kiss is like...wo  
My touch is like...wo  
My sex is like...wo  
My ass is like...wo  
My body's like...wo  
And you're kissin' it  
So what you think of it

Mercedes' jaw dropped at the amazing sex dance Kurt was doing. Kurt swiveled his hips in a grinding motion and moved his hands over his body as if they belonged instead to a long lost lover instead of himself. Brittany was matching the choreography perfectly along with joining their voices together for the chorus. This was so completely out of character for her best friend she had no idea what to think, except that Kurt was tearing this number a new one. She remembered this song from one of Santana's pages and was interested in doing this song as well. But, Kurt told her it wouldn't be good for glee since Mr. Shue would never allow it for obvious reasons.

_Kurt:_

_When will you come through  
'Cause I'll be waitin' up right here  
Can you bring some Belvedere  
So we can pop the cork and cheers_

Please have no fear Yeah  
I just wanna love you right  
I hope you have an appetite  
So tell, baby, will you come and spend the night?

Artie wasn't really paying attention to Kurt at all. He knew Kurt was the one singing, but his eyes were glued on the blonde bombshell in front of him that was practically giving him all, but a lap dance. Brittany definitely knew how to work every last inch of her body perfectly and was giving her boyfriend an amazing show. Artie was so hot under his collar right now he wouldn't be surprised if his glasses started to fog up. Sam was watching all of this with a huge smile on his face. Noah really shouldn't have pushed Kurt. He knew what Kurt was feeling these days and knew the soprano no longer wanted to back down from anyone. Although, he had to admit Kurt and Brittany were really amazing, but this much blatant sex would never be used on stage at a school. If what Kurt told him before about their 'Push It' number the year before Mr. Shue would have a fit seeing this. Although, that didn't stop him from letting out a good loud wolf whistle at the pair.

Brittany and Kurt now stepped away from Noah and Artie and came together at the center of the room and began to dance facing one another, ignoring their captive audience as they danced together.

_Kurt & Brittany:_

_My love is like...wo  
My kiss is like...wo  
My touch is like...wo  
My sex is like...wo  
My ass is like...wo  
My body's like...wo  
And you're kissin' it  
So what you think of it_

My love is like...wo  
My kiss is like...wo  
My touch is like...wo  
My sex is like...wo  
My ass is like...wo  
My body's like...wo  
And you're kissin' it  
So what you think of it

Hold me,  
Oh my  
Taste it,  
Taste it  
Hold me,  
Oh My,  
My

Noah really hadn't realized what he had unleashed until it was too late. By now he should have remembered that the Kurt he was getting to know was far bolder than the prim and proper gay man he had known so far. Kurt's moves were hot; there was simply no denying it. And the way he just stared directly in Noah's eyes as he danced made something in his gut growl much like at Ikea only this time it was far stronger. Kurt was so close to him he could smell the soprano's perfume as Kurt danced. Finally as Kurt moved away with Brittany he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

_Kurt:_

_Hold me like you never wanna let me go  
If you're likin' what you're tastin' Baby let me  
know  
See if you're gonna love me better love me strong  
'Cause I want this love to love last all night long_

My love is like...wo  
My kiss is like...wo  
My touch is like...wo  
My sex is like...wo  
My ass is like…

"Kurt!" a voice yelled from the doorway.

There in the door way stood Mr. Shue with a shocked look on his face, along with the rest of the glee club. Mr. Shuester quickly walked to the stereo and turned off the music. The rest of the club was just starting at Kurt and Brittany with most of their jaws dropped and their eyes wide. Kurt just crossed his arms and gave them all a look as if daring any of them to say anything. This of course Mr. Shue just had to do.

"Kurt… that was completely and totally inappropriate," he stated looking both shocked and disappointed at the soprano.

"Well Mr. Shue, while it may have been over the top I think I did a splendid job on it, along with Brittany," Kurt stated proudly in his usual diva tone.

"Kurt you know that's not what I mean. That song and… the dancing were totally inappropriate for you to do."

"Would it still be inappropriate if say… Santana did the number with Brittany? After all last year after we did the 'Push It' number I don't recall you being _this _upset," Kurt asked.

Mr. Shue looked at Kurt not knowing what to say.

"Or maybe it would be better if Rachael sang it since she is the_ star _after all," Kurt stated sarcastically.

"Kurt that is not the point," Mr. Shuester declared.

"Yeah sure," Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to Mercedes. "Mercedes, do you get what I'm putting down?"

"Definitely Kurt," Mercedes laughed.

With that Kurt just took his seat by Mercedes giving her a high five and Noah a wink as he passed. The rest of glee club took their seats and looked at Kurt as if he had grown a second head. Kurt just didn't care and quickly stuffed his portfolio back into his bag.

"Uh, Mr. Shue" Mercedes began, trying not to laugh. "Artie and I wanted to do a song today we thought you might like."

"Uh…will this be appropriate?" Mr. Shue looked at the pair unsurely, plus it didn't help that Brittany was sitting in Artie's lap.

"Um… Brittany I have to sing with Mercedes for a sec, ok?"

"Huh… oh sorry. I'm just so turned on by you right now," Brittany said as she looked right at her boyfriend's eyes and gave him a deep kiss.

All the guys started whistling and hollering except Kurt, who simply looked at the pair and smiled. Brittany then got off Artie's lap and sat next to Kurt dreamily. Artie and Mercedes took front and center and started the music.

(Authors note: Artie's verses in **bold** , Mercedes in _italics_, both together in _**bold italics**_)

**Artie:**

**I see your face cloud over like a little girls  
And your eyes have lost their shine  
You whisper something softly  
I'm not meant to hear  
Baby tell me what's on your mind**

_Mercedes:_

_I don't' care what people say  
About the two of us from different worlds  
I love you so much that it hurts inside  
Are you listening- _**Listen to me girl**

Kurt smiled as he watched Artie and Mercedes. Their voices really were perfect for this song. He had chosen this one since it was an early 90's song and he thought maybe they could use this to ease Mr. Shue out of the 80's. Artie and Mercedes were facing each other as they sang both looking as if they were in love and both hurting. The club watched as they sang and performed.

_**Both:**_

_**Can't we try just a little bit harder  
Can't we give just a little bit more  
Can't we try to understand  
That it's love we're fighting for  
Can't we try just a little more passion  
Can't we try just a little less pride**__  
I love you so much baby  
_**That it tears me up inside**

**Artie:**

**I hear you on the telephone  
With God knows who  
Spilling out your heart for free  
Everyone needs someone they can talk to  
Girl that someone should be me**

_Mercedes:_

_So many times I've tried to tell you  
You just turned away- _**How did I know?**_  
My life is changing so fast now  
Leaves me lonely and afraid –_**Don't be afraid**

_**Both:**_

_**Can't we try just a little bit harder  
Can't we give just a little bit more  
Can't we try to understand  
That it's love we're fighting for  
Can't we try just a little more passion  
Can't we try just a little less pride**_

_I love you so much baby__**  
**__That it tears me up inside__**  
**_**Don't let our love fade away**

_Don't let our love fade away__**  
**_**No matter what people say**

_No matter, no matter what they __**  
I need you more and more each day**_

_Don't let our love fade away_

**No matter what people say**_****_

Can't we try just a little bit harder  
Can't we give just a little bit more  
Can't we try just a little bit harder  
Can't we give just a little bit more  
Can't we try just a little more passion  
Can't we try just a little less pride  
Love you so much baby  
Tears me up inside

The duo finished the song with Mercedes belting out the last jaw dropping note in her usual diva fashion, making both Artie and Kurt smile. They received very enthusiastic applause and they each took a bow.

"Well that was a great musical number you guys," Mr. Shue declared as he got up in front of the room.

"Good enough for sectionals?" Mercedes asked with a huge smile.

"You guys are getting there," Mr. Shue said enthusiastically. "I'm actually glad you guys seem so hyped because I got some big news for you guys."

"You've decided to finally take me up on my advice for my musical selections concerning Sectionals. I will be amazing on lead vocals and we can have everyone in the background harmonizing greatly with-"

"Rachael how about letting Mr. Shue explain what's going on before you go off on another tirade," Kurt declared cutting Rachael off. "The last thing anyone else needs is to hear you worshiping yourself. Trust me when I say I think I speak for everyone in here when I say you sound far more intelligent with your mouth shut most of the time."

"Hey don't talk to my girlfriend like that!" Finn declared threateningly at Kurt.

"Oh please Finn; I'm just saying what we are _all _thinking, even you. Try being a man for once instead of her fan boy."

Finn stood about and stood up to his impressive height, looking like he was just one second away from slugging Kurt again. Before anyone knew it Noah stood up and placed himself in between Finn and Kurt.

"Lay off him Finn, or I'll break your face!"

"Aww hell nah white boy! You mess with my boy and I _will_ cut you!" Mercedes shouted out rising from her own chair.

"Enough all of you!" Mr. Shue shouted. "Everyone sit down right now!"

Finn reluctantly did as he was told and sat back down next to Rachael. Noah stayed standing until Finn sat back down. He then took his seat behind Kurt acknowledging the grateful nod his friend threw him along with Mercedes.

"What is going on with you guys?" Mr. Shue demanded looking between Kurt and Finn.

Neither Kurt nor Finn said anything and Mr. Shuester was looking at them expectantly.

"There is nothing going on Mr. Shue," Kurt stated simply, and Finn just shrugged.

"We're supposed to be a team and you guys just keep snapping at each other. We are never going to get through sectionals let alone Nationals if this continues," Mr. Shue said with finality. "Kurt apologize to Rachael."

"What! You have got to be kidding me," Kurt looked incensed.

"You were way out of line Kurt. Apologize to Rachael."

"And what about all of the times she gets out of line and throws a tantrum. Or how about her just constantly trying to automatically throw all of us into the background?"

"This isn't a discussion Kurt. Apologize right now or I will see you in the principles office."

Kurt felt like he was going to explode. At that very moment all he wanted to do was just yell at Mr. Shue for being a complete hypocrite. The rest of glee was watching the heated by play between the two and were waiting on the edge of their seats for the outcome. Kurt's face suddenly became blank and he looked directly at Mr. Shuester.

"How about I do neither Mr. Shue?" Kurt said as he stood up from his chair and calmly walked straight out of the choir room.

Ignoring all of the angry calls from Mr. Shue to come back Kurt just kept walking with his head held high, not once betraying any of the anger he felt. Before he knew it, he was walking out of the school front doors.

-Scene change-

Back in the choir room all hell was breaking lose. There didn't seem to be a single person that wasn't yelling with the exception of Brittany who was watching everything sadly from beside Artie and Matt who always seemed to stay in the background.

"Mr. Shue it was Rachael's fault!" Artie yelled.

"Rachael was the one who started it!" Quinn yelled

"Kurt was right Mr. Shue!" Tina joined in.

"Let Kurt leave we don't need him" Finn yelled.

"Shut up Finn, this is all your fault!" Noah yelled, getting in Finn's face.

"Yeah, you keep defending Rachael when all she does is tear us down! At least Kurt was honest about that," Mercedes agreed.

"You're supposed to be the closest thing he has for a brother," Sam shouted. "Maybe if you saw things from his point of view you would grow up a little.

"Don't blame this on Finn! Kurt was the one who was wrong. It's obvious Kurt's just jealous and intimidated by my natural and undeniable talent and star potential. He'll come back when he realizes he has nowhere else to go," Rachael piped up.

"THAT'S IT LET ME AT HER!" Santana yelled as she lunged at Rachael.

At this point pandemonium broke out as Rachael began screaming her head off and it took Noah, Sam, Mike, and Matt to restrain Santana. The Latina was cursing up a blue streak and the guys just barely managed to hold her back. Finn gathered Rachael into his arms protectively in his usual typical good guy manner. Mr. Shuester was yelling at them all to calm down and it took a full five minutes before he managed to calm Santana down and end her violent episode and get the rest of the glee club to sit back down.

"Alright, now does anyone want to tell me what that was all really about?"

No one said anything, although almost everyone was glaring daggers at Finn and Rachael. The pair looked as if everyone around them was crazy.

"Finn, what is going on between you Kurt?"

"Kurt was the one who started it Mr. Shue. He was the one insulting Rachel."

"No, Rachel, once again, tried to throw us all under the bus and Kurt tried to stand up for us," Quinn corrected.

"Totally, if anyone should apologize it's you Finn. You're the one who kept getting on Kurt's case. And the stuff you told him was wrong, like really wrong," Sam declared.

"Wait a sec, what stuff?" Mr. Shue asked.

Most of the glee club was looking at Finn in confusion since it was only Sam, Quinn, and Noah who knew what the quarterback had told the soprano. Mr. Shue asked once again and Finn just said he was trying to look out for the team.

"How was it looking out for the team by telling Kurt to stay away from me?" Sam asked angrily.

"Finn?" Mr. Shuester looked toward Finn for confirmation.

"I just didn't want Kurt to make the same mistake again and make Sam leave."

"You told him that if he sung a duet with me he would get me killed. That was the real reason why he wouldn't sing with me for the duets assignment. And then afterwards you told him to stay away from me altogether because you thought he was only trying to get in my pants!"

The rest of the glee club got up and started another round of yelling, only this time it was Mercedes they were holding back. The club was in an uproar to say the least. They couldn't believe Finn would say something like that to Kurt and each made it clear how mad they were at him. Even Rachael was surprised by what Finn had done. When they threw the duet competition Finn had never told her about how she got Kurt and Sam to split up. Mr. Shue got everyone to calm down once again after another few minutes.

"All of you just stop right now!" Mr. Shue yelled having had enough of the fighting. "Glee club is canceled for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we are all going to have a meeting here at lunchtime to sort the rest of this out, now I want all of you out of here."

The students all began to file out of the classroom not happy with the turn of events. Noah immediately took off wanting to find his friend.

"Not you Finn," Mr. Shue called out. "I want to talk to you."

-Scene change-

Kurt's phone was ringing like crazy by the time he got home. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but he knew he couldn't avoid the storm forever. Looking down he saw it was Mercedes calling this time. He picked up and began talking to her. Or rather began listening to her. Apparently, the club had found out about his drama with Finn, and they weren't happy. At this point he honestly didn't care. Sam was his friend no matter how much Finn tried to stop it, and that was that. Supposedly, after he left all hell broke lose until finally Mr. Shuester canceled the meeting and wanted them all to meet up again tomorrow at lunch. When Kurt asked what the big news was Mercedes said Mr. Shue never got around to telling them.

They continued talking for a time and Kurt managed to talk to Mercedes about Sam's birthday. They continued to talk until Noah walked into the room. He told Mercedes to tell everyone else he was fine and then got off the phone and looked up from the floor to meet Noah's gaze.

"I've been going crazy looking for you," Noah said as he sat himself down on the floor next to Kurt.

"I took a bus and then walked the rest of the way here," Kurt explained.

"I've been trying to call you."

"I've been on the phone with Cedes. She's been trying to get me to come back to glee club."

Noah didn't say anything; instead he just wrapped his arm over Kurt's shoulder. In response Kurt just leaned his head onto Noah's shoulder, surprised by how natural the action had seemed. They stayed that way for a while, both of them just allowing the silence to grow around them. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence to either of them. Kurt finally looked at his cell phone and saw that his father would be home in an hour from work.

"I have to start dinner," Kurt said, finally breaking the silence.

"No you don't, we are going out tonight," Noah reminded Kurt.

"Noah I appreciate the thought, but you don't have to do that."

"Hey, no arguing, you definitely need some fun after all of the bullshit that just happened. And I need some too, so that's that."

Kurt was about to protest, but Noah kept insisting. Giving in the soprano said he still had to make dinner for his dad. He went upstairs and got started on it when he suddenly remembered he never got his geometry info from Artie. He sent Artie a quick text for the info and assured him that he was fine. Half way through his cooking he heard his father come in the front door. Burt walked in and found him preparing dinner.

"Hey dad, how was work today?"

"It was good. Same old same old. How about you?"

"Oh… the usual teenaged drama that is high school," Kurt said as he turned back to the sauce pan. "But listen dad, Noah and I are going out tonight so we won't be staying for dinner."

"Where are guys going?"

"Not sure yet. Most likely bowling or going to a movie," Kurt answered, not really knowing what Noah had planned.

"Well as long as you're not out too late. You both still have school tomorrow."

"Don't worry dad we won't be out too late. And if anything happens I'll call to let you know, I promise."

Burt said it was ok and Kurt finished making dinner for his dad. When he was done he left his dad to eat in peace while he went downstairs. Noah was seated on the couch playing X-Box.

"I'm finished making dinner and dad is already upstairs. He said we can go as long as we aren't out too late."

"Awesome," Noah said as he turned off the game, "I'm going to shower and get ready then."

"Where are we going?"

"Just a place I know. Oh and by the way you need to wear something… different."

"Different how?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow and his hands defensively on his hips.

"Just wear something that makes you look older and bring that fake ID you said you had."

"Noah, I'm not up for doing anything illegal and I'd like to remind you that you are not either," Kurt said crossing his arms.

"Trust me; nothing bad is going to happen. We are going to a place I go to a lot so we won't have any trouble."

"Alright, I trust you," Kurt said after a few moments.

"Damn right you should," Noah winked, making Kurt groan in dread.

"I'm going to pick out some clothes then."

"I'll jump in the shower now then while you do that," Noah said and headed straight for the bathroom.

Kurt went into the closet and began to look through his clothes. He had no idea what would be proper attire for the evening. All Noah told him was to wear something that would make him look older. Looking through his racks of clothing Kurt tried to piece together an outfit that would do just that. As he did Artie texted him again with all he had requested for class. Kurt thanked him and made sure to write the assignment down.

Artie asked if he was ok to which Kurt said he was fine. Artie asked if he could come over, but Kurt told him he and Noah had plans. It was obvious Artie wanted to try and talk to him about what happened at glee. Kurt just told him he would see him in the morning like always. Kurt really didn't know what to do. He knew Mr. Shue would probably give him detention again, which he didn't really need with how busy he was lately.

He could kick himself for his impulsiveness, but Mr. Shue just made him so angry. While Mr. Shue was their teacher, Kurt didn't enjoy his condescending attitude or him treating him like he was a child. Kurt could have easily admitted that he was wrong, after all he _was_ being rude, but no more than anyone else usually is when Rachael starts her usual diva crap. Mr. Shue never made her apologize to Tina last year when she flat out disrespected Tina by saying she wasn't ready to do Maria from 'West Side Story'. Even though after Rachael stormed out and they had all congratulated Tina, it was obvious Tina still felt lousy.

Even after she came back Rachael would still constantly belittle the rest of them. The only time Kurt could ever remember her showing any real empathy for the club was when she gave up her solo to Mercedes last year at sectionals. But, after that it just went back to business as usual. Since last year they had all grown up quite a bit from all that had happened. However, it seemed Rachael still didn't understand what it meant to be a part of a team. In fact the only reason she was still in glee club was because Finn had to literally beg them all not to kick her out after the Sunshine fiasco. They were all more than ready to take their chances this year without one Rachael Berry.

After Sunshine auditioned, Kurt and Mercedes actually talked to Sunshine, wanting to apologize. Both of them felt guilty for not stopping Rachael form sending Sunshine to that crack house. They should have known Rachael wouldn't have just let it go and because of it Vocal Adrenalin was now stronger than ever. Worst of all Mr. Shue never did anything about it. Beyond his chastising he just let Rachael get away with anything and even enabled her horrendous attitude. Neither Kurt nor any of the others enjoyed that kind of privilege. In fact, for his outburst during the Brittney Spears debacle he got sent to the principals' office and a week's detention.

It was even the same with Finn. Mr. Shue always ends up putting Finn in the lead along side Rachael. With Rachael coaching Finn on his voice and Mr. Shue constantly doting on him it was clear Finn was his favorite. But, because of it none of the guys in the group ever got much of the spotlight. Artie could definitely sing lead and so could Noah. They both had amazing voices and because they both studied music to play guitar they could be far more vocally stronger if Mr. Shue took the time to realize it.

But, all of this was moot since they were never given much of a chance to prove it. And now he had walked out again and things were probably going to get worse. His temper had gotten the better of him again and now he was totally lost on what to do. If he went back now it would be like admitting he was wrong, but he knew he wasn't. Even though it seemed like childish pride it was more than that. And it wasn't about just him either it was about everyone.

"_Maybe there's a way I can turn this to my advantage__,__" Kurt thought to himself._

He slowly began to plot things out in his head and began to carefully weigh his options. Unable to come up with anything concrete he decided to wait until tomorrow to see what would happen and plan things out from there. Going back to his previous task he tried to find clothing for the evening. Once he was done he went to his vanity table to give his skin some treatment before shower. Even though he had washed his face earlier he didn't like the idea of all the corn syrup from earlier wreaking havoc on his pores. Noah came out of the shower while Kurt was half way through his skin care regime.

"Oh I forgot don't put on any make up," Noah declared as he tightened the towel around his waist.

"I'm not putting any make up on," Kurt admonished. "I'm taking care of my skin. I want to make sure those slushies don't damage my complexion."

"Your skin looks fine."

"That's right, and it's going to stay that way if I have anything to say about it," Kurt said seriously and finished his regime.

Noah just shook his in amusement and went to the closet to get dressed. Kurt got up and headed straight for the bathroom. Kurt brushed his teeth and flossed and rinsed his mouth with his mouthwash. He then stripped down and jumped in the shower. The hot water felt good on his body. Hot showers were now a must since he started his exercise routine with the guys. It was the only thing that got his muscles to stop aching so much. Sam really was a slave driver, but he could already see and feel the results. Hopefully, he could get stronger and be able to do the dance lifts. Although, for the moment that wasn't so important since Santana now had no interest in doing the dance number he wanted to do.

Kurt gave his body a quick massage as he lathered up his body to relieve the tension in his muscles. He then took care of his hair as customary and then braced himself on the wall and leaned forward. The water felt great running down his back. Normally he would have taken a hot bath, but he knew he didn't have the time. Kurt then shut off the water and dried off, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Noah was nowhere in the room and Kurt knocked on the closet door.

"Come in," Noah said.

"Are you decent?"

"When am I ever?" Noah responded.

Kurt just rolled his eyes and opened the door. Noah was thankfully wearing a pair of jeans and was pulling on a shirt.

"I have to take you shopping next week. Those clothes are horrible."

"No way," Noah said. "You're not going to get me to wear any of those stupid frilly designer clothes like the kind you had on today."

"I will have you know that I was wearing a Versace original and I looked fantastic in it."

"Well, you can keep your Versache then," Noah chuckled.

"That's Versace, and I will have you know I can make anyone look fabulous. After all if I can make over Mercedes, Quinn, and Finn's mother I can make you over too."

"No thanks," Noah said with a smile.

"Well at least take off that hideous shirt then and put on something more flattering."

"Like what, one of your fuzzy sweaters?"

"Just take off your shirt and I'll see what you have that's better."

Noah just rolled his eyes, but complied anyhow. He watched Kurt go though his clothes and sneer at most of them. Finally, he picked out some shirts and held them up against Noah to see how they would look.

"These are good, but your jeans don't match. Take them off and put these on instead," Kurt instructed and held out a pair of dark blue jeans.

"I should have known you just wanted me to take off my clothes."

"You wish Noah. Now hurry up and change," Kurt said as he tossed the half back the jeans.

"I'm going commando," Noah informed Kurt and waggled his eyes brows.

Kurt just made a rude gesture and left the jock alone to change. He was still in nothing, but a towel since he had left all of his clothes in the closet. He decided to look through his jewelry and see what he could dig up. A minute or two later Noah walked out of the closet.

"How is this then Mr. Gucci?" Noah smirked.

Noah was now wearing the dark blue jeans Kurt had given him along with a white short sleeved muscle shirt.

"See, much better," Kurt said proudly. "The dark color of the jeans really brings more attention to the shirt. And the shirt itself brings more attention to your chest and biceps."

Noah just smiled and flexed his arms giving the soprano a show.

"These guns are fully loaded!" Noah exclaimed and gave each of his arms a kiss.

"And I thought I was the narcissist," Kurt said sarcastically. "Here wear this," Kurt further instructed and handed Noah his leather jacket. "This is better than the coat you were wearing before. It's form fitting and, it's waist length so it tastefully shows off your butt."

Noah of course just had to make a joke, which Kurt just ignored. With that Kurt went back into the closet and got dressed. Noah just turned on the TV and channel surfed until he heard Kurt reemerge from the closet. He turned around and saw Kurt slowly walk over to his vanity mirror to brush his hair. Kurt was now wearing a pair of black hip hugging jeans with a simple black leather belt and a pair of black army combat boots. He now also wore a white undershirt and over that, he had worn a black long sleeved button up shirt. But Kurt had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows and was now currently putting on some large silver cuff bracelets on. Kurt wasn't sure about wearing all black, but everything looked very good together. Plus, he knew you should never wear colors with black. It usually makes the colors look cheap and the black look boring. With one final look at himself he turned around to face Noah.

"So how is this then?"

Noah looked at the soprano and up and down very impressed. Kurt looked amazing. The pants looked perfectly molded to his hips and accentuated his body greatly. The shirt added to this effect as it seemed to be a bit too tight for Kurt. With the buttons all buttoned up, save for the two top ones, exposing the white undershirt underneath, the shirt tightly clung to Kurt's body making his own chest and arms pop out more. All of the working out was starting to show and Kurt didn't even seem to notice.

"Uh, Noah," Kurt finally said, breaking Noah out of his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Noah said quickly.

"Then why are you staring at me then?"

"Uh… nothing. It's just you look… taller," Noah said quickly.

"Oh, it's the boots. You said to look older and for some reason these boots make me look a bit taller so I wore them."

"Cool," Noah said. "Although, I didn't think you were the bling type," Noah gestured to the bracelets.

"Mercedes talked me into buying them last year," Kurt explained as he lifted up his wrists. "She loves to wear gold jewelry, especially bracelets and necklaces. I personally don't like yellow gold very much. It sometimes looks cheap and tawdry, but Mercedes can pull it off quite well. I for some reason just like silver much better or for important jewelry white gold, but I rarely wear any jewelry at all especially bracelets since I have such small wrists. But, Mercedes and I were browsing online through some catalogs and when she saw these she immediately told me I just had to buy them so I did. This is only the second time I've ever worn them though even though by some miracle these fit perfectly."

"They look good on you," Noah complimented making Kurt blush.

"Thank you," Kurt said simply, but with a big smile.

They both got what they needed and left saying a goodbye to Burt as they left the house. Kurt asked where they were going, but Noah remained tight lipped about their destination. After nearly half an hour of driving with only one stop to get gas Noah finally pulled up to a rundown looking place with a large neon sign saying 'Guys-n-Dolls'.

"Noah what is this place?" Kurt demanded afraid Noah had just taken him to a strip club.

"This is the place where everyone from Ohio State University goes to hang out. It's a bar and a pool hall. I've been coming here since freshman year. They never card you unless you order alcohol. But, I've been here so many times the bartender doesn't bother carding me. Plus, it doesn't hurt that I did her on one of the pool tables after she closed up on one of my first times here. The college chicks are always up for a game if you know what I mean," Noah winked at Kurt. "I brought Finn here a few times, but he just couldn't handle it so I gave up and just kept coming back solo."

"What do you mean he couldn't handle it?"

"Don't worry about it," Noah said. "I'll explain all the funny details over a game."

Noah wrapped his arms over Kurt's shoulder and guided him. As soon as they were in Kurt saw a couple of co-eds singing on a small stage through a karaoke machine. The place itself seemed to be one huge open space. Around the small stage were lots of chairs and small tables some obviously pushed together by the bigger groups of friends. Against the walls on that side were also a few booths like in a restaurant. On the opposite side of the room there was nothing, but pool tables; at least a dozen. Straight ahead opposite of the entrance was the bar. The place was certainly popular as was plain to see by the amount of college students in the bar having a good time.

"You got a table open?" Noah asked the bartender as they reached the bar.

"Long time no see," she said as she turned to face them.

She looked to be in her late twenties, about the same height as Kurt with obviously dyed red hair down past her shoulders. She had fair skin, but it badly needed exfoliating if her pores were anything to go by Kurt observed. Her nose was pierced with a nose stud on the right side and her eyes were a very dark brown. On top of that on each one of her fingers she had many rings. The bartender had a decent slender body with a modest sized bust. She was wearing a pair of tight skinny legged jeans and a blue tank top.

"Things have been kinda hectic," Noah smiled at her.

"Who's the hottie?" she asked looking at Kurt as if he was dinner. "You staying until closing?"

"This is my friend Kurt," Noah introduced. "Kurt this is Joanne."

Joanne held out her hand and was nicely surprised when Kurt took her hand gently and kissed it instead of shaking it.

"Well well, dare I say we actually have a gentleman here?" Joanne smirked looking at Kurt as if he was a specimen under a microscope. "Although if you're a real gentleman; your choice in company is rather odd. Especially, since you at least _look _smarter than the last guy that came in here with him."

Kurt didn't know if he should be flattered or insulted so he chose the former and smiled.

"He's the real deal Joanne. And I never heard you complain about my… company before."

"True," Joanne admitted coyly. "Although, that's too bad though. If he is a gentleman I guess we can't try to have a little Three's Company after closing then?"

"Nope, 'fraid not," Noah answered looking a bit disappointed, although he noticed Kurt not once lost his smile or composure. "But, do you have a table open? I want to teach Kurt how to play."

"In a while I can give you one. I got some peoples whose time is up."

"That's cool. Then just give us a beer and we'll park ourselves at one of the tables for now."

"Actually just make mine a club soda with a slice lemon. Knowing him," Kurt motioned to Noah, "He'll get piss drunk and I'll have to take care of him."

"You _are_ smart," Joanne laughed.

She got them their drinks and managed to find a small table in the corner that was empty to sit it.

"Ok what the hell was that?" Kurt demanded loudly over the singers once they were seated.

"I come here a lot," Noah replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure you do," Kurt retorted, making Noah laugh. "What was she talking about?"

"I'll explain later, for now just relax," Noah placated. "While we're waiting lets join in," Noah motioned towards the stage.

"Sure," Kurt replied.

Noah grabbed a huge trapper keeper that DJ used for people to pick songs from. He brought it over to the table and started looking through it.

"Hey Kurt, I think I found a perfect song for you."

"What is it?"

The half back only grinned and scribbled something down quickly on one of the small bits a paper on the table and gave it to the DJ.

"What did you put in?"

"Just go when they call you up," Noah smirked.

After about three songs Kurt heard his name being called and Noah broke out in laugher. Instead of showing any distress Kurt simply walked up to the stage to the polite applause he received. The DJ gave him a microphone and Kurt took center stage. He looked up at the screen and saw the title of the song along with his name for the singer.

"Noah I'll get you for this!" he called out making some people laugh.

The laughter stopped as the music began and Kurt began to sing.

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_Now put your hands up  
Up in the club, we just broke up  
I'm doing my own little thing  
you Decided to dip but now you wanna trip  
Cuz another brother noticed me  
I'm up on him, he up on me  
dont pay him any attention  
cuz I cried my tears, GAVE three good years  
Ya can't be mad at me_

_Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it_

wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh

_wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh_

All of the practice from the year before had ingrained all of the choreography into Kurt's body and mind and as he sang he did it all perfectly despite having one hand occupied by the microphone. All of the women in the bar were cheering him on and shouting out. Noah of coarse was cheering as well and Kurt was surprised a good number of the guys followed suit.

_I got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips  
hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans  
acting up, drink in my cup  
I couldn't care less what you think  
I need no permission, did I mention  
Don't pay him any attention  
Cuz you had your turn  
But now you gonna learn  
What it really feels like to miss me_

_Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it_

wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh

_wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh_

Kurt's vocals were rocking the microphone and at this point a few of the women around the stage started to imitate his moves and dance along with him. The guys were hollering them on. Noah's eyes never left the soprano as he sang and danced.

_Don't treat me to the things of this world  
I'm not that kind of girl  
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve  
Is a man that makes me, then takes me  
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond  
Pull me into your arms  
Say I'm the one you WANT  
If you don't, you'll be alone  
And like a ghost I'll be gone_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_Now put your hands up_

_wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh_

_wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh_

_Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it_

wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh

_wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh_

The song ended and the bar cheered loudly. Kurt confidently handed the DJ back the microphone and was about to get off the stage when one of the woman stepped forward and shoved a twenty dollar bill into his pants. Everyone broke into laughter and Kurt blushed as red as a tomato. He got off the stage and walked back to the table only to have someone give him a firm smack on his ass making him jump in surprise. Noah watching all of this laughed even harder.

"You are so dead!" Kurt yelled as he sat down.

"Aww and I thought you were finally having fun," Noah said sweetly.

"Two can play at this game," Kurt said and grabbed the trapper keeper.

"Hit me with your best shot Hummel."

"I intend to!"

Looking through the pages Kurt found the song he was looking for and jotted it down before Noah had the chance to look. He quickly gave it the DJ and sat back down. After two more songs the DJ called Puckzilla up. Noah confidently strutted to the stage and grabbed the mic. The screen came to life displaying the song and Noah flinched.

"Kurt, you son of bitch!"

Now it was Kurt's turn to laugh along with the crowd as the music started. Not wanting to back down Noah began to sing and all the women in the audience watched in joy.

_Looking out on the morning rain  
I used to feel uninspired  
And when I knew I had to face another day  
Lord, it made me feel so tired  
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind  
But your love was the key to peace my mind_

Cause you make me feel,

_You make me feel,_

_You make me feel like  
A natural woman_

The entire bar was rolling in laughter and Kurt actually had to hold his sides as he watched Noah make a fool of himself. A guy somewhere started howling like a dog which made everyone laugh even harder.

_When my soul was in the lost-and-found  
You came along to claim it  
I didn't know just what was wrong with me  
Till your kiss helped me name it  
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for  
Cause if I make you happy I don't need no more_

_Cause you make me feel,_

_You make me feel,_

_You make me feel like  
A natural woman_

_Oh, baby, what you've done to me  
You make me feel so good inside  
And I just want to be close to you  
You make me fell so alive_

_Cause you make me feel,_

_You make me feel,_

_You make me feel like  
A natural woman_

The very second the song was over Noah got off the stage and headed straight to their table. The crowd applauded and laughed as he went and the DJ continued to call up the tickets he had.

"You bastard," Noah snapped as he sat down although he was smiling.

"Hey that's what you get for putting in my name without my permission," Kurt told him.

Noah responded by giving Kurt a punch in the arm to which he received one in kind.

"Is this a lover's spat or can I get in on it," Joanne asked as she walked up to them.

"Feel free to join. Despite everything, even Kurt likes it rough," Noah answered.

"You ass," Kurt responded with a smile.

"If you guys still want it I got your table ready."

"Lead the way then," Noah stood up.

"Any excuse just to see me from behind," Joanne declared to, which she received a firm grope from Puck.

She showed the two to the table and then went back to the bar. Noah explained the game to Kurt and the rules. Kurt said he understood the game, but when it came time to actually playing he was abysmal at it. Noah of course having the most experience easily dominated the pool table. After their first game Noah racked everything up and began instructing Kurt step by step. Kurt tried, but he still had some trouble. He ended up getting so frustrated that when it was his turn he actually sent the white ball flying off their table. It landed smack in the middle of another table where a group of guys were already a game.

"Oh damn it!" Kurt yelled. "I'm really sorry you guys. This is my first time playing."

"It's alright man. Believe it or not it happens more often than you think," one of the guys stepped forward and handed Kurt the white ball he had just sent flying.

"I'm sorry I ruined your game," Kurt apologized.

"No sweat. I'm Anthony," He held out his hand and smiled.

"I'm Kurt, and this is my friend Puck," Kurt introduced.

"I haven't seen you guys around. What classes are you taking?"

"Oh, I'm studying music and theater arts. You?" Kurt lied smoothly.

"I'm studying English literature. How about I help you with your game?"

"I'm warning you it seems pretty hopeless," Kurt replied.

Anthony just laughed and said he would see about it. He watched Kurt play for a few minutes and then began correcting him on what he was doing wrong. He then took Kurt's hands and wrapped both of their hands together onto the pool cue. Just as he was about to go further Noah grabbed his arm and stood menacingly beside him.

"I think your friends need you back in their game," Noah said.

Anthony looked at Noah about to tell him off until he saw the look in the half back's eyes. Noah looked like a wild rabid animal protecting his freshly caught prey and ready to rip Anthony to shreds with his bare hands. Anthony quickly muttered a goodbye and went back to his own table.

"Noah?" Kurt asked confused.

"You ok?"

'Yeah, I'm fine. What did you do that for he was only trying to help?"

"Dude, he wasn't trying to help he was hitting on you."

"What? No he wasn't," Kurt denied.

"Yes, he was. Trust me I _know_ what I'm talking about. He was just about to bend you over and feel you up. I've done it loads of times to chicks in here."

"You're serious," Kurt declared with a raised eyebrow still not really believing what he was hearing.

Noah just gave him a look that Kurt couldn't read. Kurt just shrugged and said he wanted to get back to the game to which they did. Kurt got better with Noah's help and finally started to sink a few. Noah won again of course, but Kurt didn't really care since he was having so much fun. After the game they decided to call it a night and gave up the table. Joanne rang up their drinks and their pool time and Noah paid.

"So, where to now?" Kurt asked as they walked back to the truck.

"I'm starving, how about you?"

"Same here," Kurt said since he hadn't eaten dinner.

"Then come on, I know this great place we can go to."

They got in the truck like before and Noah continued to explain the pool game to his friend. As they drove Noah suddenly spotted a certain place and made a U turn. He quickly parked the truck and Kurt looked out the window confused.

"Uh, Noah, what are we doing here?"

"This is the place I told you I got my nipple ring. Come on," Noah said and got out of the truck.

Dreading what was to come, but not wanting to be left alone for who knows how long Kurt followed him into the tattoo parlor. Immediately behind the door there was nothing, but a flight of steps leading up. On the walls there appeared to be a huge mural that was still left undone, which Kurt found he actually liked. It was of large vines with multiple flowers growing all over it. It looked very lovely and Kurt couldn't help but admire it as they walked up the very narrow flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs Noah opened a door and told Kurt to come along. Kurt just followed and beyond there was a small room with a glass counter on the far wall a few waiting chairs along the right and a small door labeled 'bathroom'. On the left wall was a bunch of the customary tattoo drawings you would always see hung up on the walls of a tattoo parlor. As they walked up to the case there was a very tall and lanky guy sitting there. He had both his ears pierced and Kurt could see the makings of tattoos disappearing below the color of his shirt.

"Hey Kal," Noah greeted as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey Puck. You changed your mind about that tattoo?" he asked.

"Nah, I just wanted to take my boy here and show him how things are done. And maybe see if you could help me talk him into some work."

"Like hell you will Puckerman!" Kurt yelled making Noah laugh.

"Ah, a virgin" Kal said.

"What does my virginity have to do with anything?" Kurt crossed his arms giving them a glare.

"He doesn't mean that type of virginity Kurt," Noah said with big Cheshire grin. "He means you never had any body work done."

"Although there's nothing wrong with being a virgin," Kal grinned also.

Noah laughed and Kurt had to force himself not to blush.

"I was telling my friend here he would look great with both his nipples pierced. What do you think?"

"Take off your shirt and let's see your chest," Kal instructed Kurt.

"No way!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Aww come on Kurt, let him have a look. Are you afraid he'll prove me right?"

"I'm not taking off my shirt because I am _not _getting my nipples pierced," Kurt said with finality.

"Well if you want I could just pierce your ear. Or if you want something that looks hot I could give you a Prince Albert. My girlfriend went buck wild when I got mine. I even got some pleasure beads sewn underneath the skin on the underside of my dick. " Kal offered looking down towards Kurt's crotch.

""I'm not getting _anything _pierced!"

"Oh chill out Kurt. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I still say it would look hot as hell on you. The chicks would love it," Noah insisted.

"I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Well I could give you a tattoo instead. Maybe some place people won't see," Kal offered.

"NO!" Kurt yelled making them both laugh.

"Alright already, we were just joking," Noah said which got him a smack upside the head from Kurt.

"So what can I do you for? You finally decided to get the other nipple pierced like I suggested?" Kal asked Noah.

"Yeah, think you can hook me up?"

"No prob, just remember our deal. Someone asks; I don't know you."

Kal motioned for Noah to follow him behind the counter. Noah did although he took Kurt's hand taking the soprano along for the ride. Kal just told Noah to take a seat while he got ready. Noah took off his jacket and his shirt and sat down on the chair in the middle of the room.

"Oh come on Kurt, it's just a piercing," Noah declared seeing the anxious look on Kurt's face.

"It's your body, you can do what you want with it," Kurt answered.

Noah just took Kurt's hand again and didn't let go until Kal was finished and Noah had a matching set of nipple rings. After that Noah paid and they were both off again this time for dinner. It took another ten minutes, but they finally pulled up to a place called 'Top's Diner'. Noah and Kurt walked in and Noah asked simply for a table for two. The hostess showed them to a table in the non-smoking section and gave them their menus. She told them to simply wave the waiters down when they were ready to order.

"You're going to love the food here, I love this place. It's not big and fancy, but the food is so much better than BreadStiX."

"Do they have anything that's healthy?" Kurt asked looking through the menu.

"Dude you eat like a baby bird or something. Forget about dieting and crap for tonight and just eat something. I swear if I didn't know you I'd think you were one of those anorexic chicks."

"I don't suffer from an eating disorder," Kurt said. "I'm just careful about what I put in my body. The food people eat today is so unhealthy and filled with chemicals and so on. I just want to take care of myself."

"Dude that's fine, but your not going to get any stronger if you don't bulk up a bit and eat more. Besides your own cooking, all I ever see you eat is tiny portions of plain yogurt and pieces of fruit. You got to live a little. What's the point of working out and eating healthy food all the times if you can't eat what you want when you want?"

"Because even though it doesn't seem like it now, years later I know how cholesterol and high blood pressure and so on will destroy my life."

"Kurt you're making everything into too big of a deal. That's why we all exercise and do sports and stuff. My body is perfect and I eat whatever the hell I want. Nothing's going to happen to my body unless I stop working out. And I'm telling you right now I love my guns too much for me to let that happen. You're just going overboard with it like you do with everything else."

"I just don't want to end up stuck with diabetes or who knows what else," Kurt reaffirmed.

"Dude I promise you, that's not going to happen with how much you work out and eat all the time. So here," Noah said and took Kurt's menu from him.

"Hey!"

"I'm going to order for the both of us and you are going to eat every last thing on your plate," Noah stated.

"Fine, but I at least want to get a salad."

"Deal," Noah smiled and looked through the menu, already knowing what he was going to order.

He waved down the waitress and she came over with her pad and pencil ready.

"Good evening, my name is Lindsey and I will be your waitress tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll have a root beer," Noah said.

"May I have some iced tea with a slice of lemon please?" Kurt asked.

"Sure, would you guys like to order food now or would you like some more time?"

"We already know what we want," Noah declared. "Give us two cheese burgers with cheddar cheese and bacon. With a side of French fries, make them nice and crispy."

"Ok great, would you like an appetizer to hold you over while you wait?"

"Actually yeah, my friend here would like the chicken Cesar salad."

"What kind of dressing would you like with that?" she asked.

"Actually no dressing please, just some oil and vinegar on the side," Kurt said.

"Oh can you also bring us a plate of onion rings and mozzarella sticks for us to share?"

"Sure, are you planning on having desert?"

"No" "Yes" they both answered at the same time, confusing the waitress.

"Yes," Noah said leaving Kurt no room for argument.

"Would you like to know what kind of desserts we have?"

"No, actually could you just bring us two large slices of your homemade apple pie a la mode?"

"Sure, the chef always makes a bunch since it seems to be everyone's favorite," she jotted it all down. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"No, that will be it all. Thank you Lindsey," Noah smiled charmingly at her making her blush.

"Ok I'll be right back with your drinks."

With that she took off and came back with their drinks like she said. With a final smile she left the two alone.

"I can't eat all that!" Kurt declared as soon as she was gone.

"Yes you can and you will. I'm serious; you need to eat more if you want to bulk up. And the food is amazing here. Once you start eating it you won't be able to stop."

"Fine, but tomorrow I'll have to work out even harder to burn off all these calories."

Noah just rolled his and drank some of his soda.

"And hey you still have to explain what all that was before with Joanne."

"Are you sure want to hear it Mr. Propriety?" Noah teased.

"Yes, now what the hell was all that about?"

"Well I started going to Guys-n-Dolls in freshman year along with a bunch of other places with my fake ID. You know scouting around for easy places to get liquor and pussy."

"Ok I can believe that, but there was still more to it though."

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Noah asked.

"Yes," Kurt stated and sat back in the booth they were in.

"Well before I used to try and bring Finn along with me. It was a big mistake since the guy just can't lie at all plus he can't hold his liquor at all. Anywhere I would bring him he would always mess things up and I'd be left with a huge mess to clean up. Anyway, I tried to help him out and get him laid, but the guy just screwed everything up."

"What happened?" Kurt was already forming an idea of where this was going.

"Well that year for the super bowl I brought Finn there to try and get him some college pussy. Joanne of course was there serving up the booze and we were having a great time. She asked me if Finn and I would be interested in having a private… after party with her, just the three of us. Obviously I got what she was talking about and I told her I was down. Finn thought she meant an actual party until I explained what she wanted after she went back to bartending. He looked freaked out, but I just told him to stop being such a fag and not ruin the good time."

"Let me guess, this ends very badly doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Very bad. Once everyone left she locked up and it was just the three of us. Finn by then was so nervous he looked like he was about to go into the lion's den. Being the stud that I am I started things off by taking off her top and her pants and sitting her on the pool table. She took off my shirt and popped open my pants. Now you've seen those rings she wears, right? Well she whips out my dick and starts stroking me. Her palm is nice and warm, but her rings are all ice cold. We're making out and about to go further until she notices Finn just standing to the side looking like the virgin that he is. She grabbed him and ripped his shirt off and starts to open his pants like she did with me. Sadly enough that's where everything went wrong."

"Oh wait let me guess, his hair trigger goes off," Kurt says already having heard about Finn's little problem already.

"Oh yea, big time. She pulled out his cock and the moment it was out of his pants he just shot his load all over her and the pool table."

"Was she mad?"

"No… well at least she wasn't until things got worse."

"What happened?"

"Well after Finn shot his load, a second later he puked. I grabbed her out of the way just in time, but Finn puked all over the pool table."

Kurt laughed his head off and Noah joined him.

"So needless to say she was pissed. To be honest I was pissed too. I mean here I am about to get my mack on and Finn just ruins everything. I don't know what the hell his problem is. Seriously, I'm standing there with my shirt off, my dick hard and my pants half way off and here Finn is standing beside me, with his pants around his ankles and he's covered in his own puke. Joanne went ballistic and I ended up having to clean it all myself to keep her from calling the cops or banning me from the bar. I told Finn to just wait in my truck and get out. It took me forever to clean it all, but once it was done I fucked Joanna on the bar. Ever since then I just go there alone."

Their appetizers came and Noah continued to tell Kurt some stories of the former duos, bar hoping misadventures.

"Anyway, once again Finn messes everything up and we ended up having to hightail it out of there before they called the cops. I didn't even get a chance to get that cougar to suck me off before it all went to hell. After that I never took Finn bar hopping with me again," Noah laughed.

"It was stupid of you to even take him in the first place. I mean come on, Finn can't even handle high school chicks, how did you ever expect him to handle middle aged women?" Kurt said.

"I didn't, but I knew I had to get him laid somehow. Although, it got to the point that I wondered if he was on the down low. It got to be a joke I used to make fun of him since no matter what he seems scared to death of chicks."

"You know, Noah… I know this isn't any of my business," Kurt said suddenly very serious. "But… can I ask you an extremely private question?"

"What's up?" Noah asked.

At this point their burgers came and Kurt balked at the size of them.

"I can't eat all this, it's huge!"

"Well you're the one who claimed to be able to put huge things in his mouth. I didn't think you would have a problem with size," Noah joked.

The waitress laughed and Kurt's face went red once more in embarrassment. Noah just dug in and watched as Kurt's blush receded and began to eat. When Kurt's eyes lit up he knew he was right about Kurt loving the food. This place had the best burgers anywhere.

"So what did you want to ask?" Noah said after a few more bites of burger.

"Well… like I said I know this isn't any of my business Noah, but… Do you use protection?"

"Sometimes, it kinda depends on the moment or more specifically the chick. If they ask I put one on if not I go bareback. Although, now that I got the vasectomy, I don't have to bother anymore."

"Uh… Noah, that's not how it works," Kurt stammered.

"Who cares Kurt, it's not like I can get anyone pregnant anymore unless I get my vasectomy undone."

"Noah that's not what I'm talking about. I mean after what happened with Quinn… there's more out there than just pregnancy to worry about."

"Dude relax I got it, the chicks I sleep with are clean."

"Noah, no one ever knows what they have until its too late. That's why you should always get tested and use protection."

"Kurt, I'm the sex shark of Lima. I'm not going to stop having sex just because it _might _be not be safe. So enough already, nobody tames Puckzilla!" Noah snapped obviously getting angry

"Noah that's… Noah I'm not telling you to stop having sex. Who you have sex with and so forth is _your_ business. It's just that… well. I just wish you would use better judgment. Ever since you dropped Santana your libido has been going on overdrive. Sometimes… To be honest with you Noah, I get worried about you. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," Kurt breathed out.

"Thanks Kurt, but I can handle myself. Besides, I got my blood tested when I got my vasectomy and I got tested again when I got put in juvie. So I know I'm clean."

"Ok, but at least just think about what I'm saying ok."

"Fair enough," Noah said and continued eating.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said. "I didn't mean to get on your case or anything. I shouldn't have said anything. It's none of my business."

"No… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been such an asshole about it. At least you cared enough to ask. All of the other guys would have just given me a high five or something and if I told any of the chicks in glee any of my stories they would just call me a horn dog or some other crap."

"Noah I'm your friend not your dad. I don't judge you. It's your life Noah and I don't know much about it. I don't know what you've seen or lived through so I can't judge. In the end it's like I said before, I just don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Thanks Kurt," Noah replied, unsure of how to respond to Kurt's sincerity.

They both continued to eat there food until Noah finally spoke again.

"So what happened yesterday?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Kurt, I told you before, Finn is the stupid one not me. You told me before you only drink like that when you're down. I've known you for a while now and we're even sharing room now. Plus, that fight today in the choir room. Finn usually never gets mad enough to hit people. I think I know you well enough to know something bad happened so what is it? Did Finn do something to you again?"

"No Finn… he didn't do anything it was just…" Kurt trailed off.

Kurt looked at his friend, not knowing what to say.

"It's hard to explain."

"Try," Noah pushed.

"Well after I started this whole mess with Finn, my dad started spending a lot of time with Finn. After watching them interact together, I got really jealous. Seeing the way he was with Finn, it really got to me. Finn was what my father always dreamt of, always wanted in a son. During family dinners they would both just go on and on about sports and 'guy' stuff. And I was always left out. Then it wasn't just dinners anymore. Dad started to take Finn out all the time and spend more time with him. Going to baseball games and fishing, and going for hoagies together. So I tried to be straight, and started dressing up my like dad to try and… be the son he wanted."

"Dude, I'm goanna be honest with you, your dad seems pretty cool. And he doesn't seem to mind that you're gay."

"He is and he doesn't mind. But, because I'm gay he and I just don't connect very well. And even though he is ok with me being gay… it obviously makes him uncomfortable. I mean I can't even talk to him about sex or dating. I'm just kinda figuring everything out on my own. I love my dad and I know he loves me, but I wish just once he would look at me the way he does Finn. Yesterday I went to the garage and Finn was there. Now my dad is teaching him about cars. I've been working in that garage since I was three years old with my dad. He taught me everything I know and I can practically run that garage on my own. I can rebuild a car by myself in less than two hours! But, when I saw Finn there it was like the last thing I had with my dad got chucked in the bin."

Neither said anything for a while. Kurt confession just hung in the air awkwardly between them.

"My dad left when I was ten," Noah said suddenly. "He just packed up and left me and my mom. He said he was sick of me and my mom and how we had ruined his life. One night after a bad fight he just packed up his things and left. My mom was pregnant at the time with Sarah and we ended up having to ask our relatives for help. We were ok, for a while at least. My mom hadn't worked since she had gotten married so it took her a while to find work since she had no credentials or anything. When she finally did I was pretty much alone all the time taking care of Sarah since she was always at work. After a while my mom and I just started fighting all the time. It was like nothing I ever did was right or good enough. It was obvious she blamed me for how things turned out. Until finally one day I just got so sick of her and stopped caring about what she said. I had my own opinions about things and wanted to do things my way. I started doing odd jobs to earn money and I taught myself how to play the guitar. Our fighting got worse, but like I said I just didn't care anymore about what she thought and I did whatever I wanted. The only one I cared about was Sarah. I always took care of her. I would walk her to school, and help her with homework, and sing her songs with my guitar when I tucked her in at night."

Kurt looked into Noah's eyes and saw a glimpse of something. It made his heart clench and the wheels in his head start to spin wildly.

"You really miss her don't you?"

"Yeah," Noah admitted after a moment of silence.

"She's really lucky to have you."

"Thanks."

"Did you ever find out what happened to your dad?"

"Yeah. I guess whatever he was looking for he found. Last I heard he's now living in Miami, Florida with a new wife and son."

"He was an idiot Noah. You deserved a lot better than what he gave you. It looks like no matter how different we are we _both_ have daddy issues."

"Yeah, but doesn't it make you question your own self value? I mean, why are _we _so easy to push aside?"

"All the time," Kurt admitted. "I love my dad more than anything. My dad is a great guy, but we're so different from each other that now it's like we're on completely different planets. After everything that happened last year between us and everything that's going on now. I just feel like his life would be so much better if… if I wasn't in it. I should just let Finn replace me."

"At least he loves you. That's something Finn can never replace you on."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed.

The waitress had brought them there desserts and they both dug in.

"Oh my," Kurt exclaimed as he took a bite out of the pastry.

"I know right?" Noah said as he took a bite out of his own apple pie.

"This is amazing. The pastry is light and the apple filling is just right. Not too sweet or too tart."

"Yeah and the ice cream takes it up another notch," Noah agreed while shoveling another bite into his mouth."

The conversation turned to lighter things as Kurt talked about the desserts he could make. Noah loved desserts and was secretly hoping Kurt would start making a lot more of them. When Lindsey came back to get them refills on there drinks Kurt asked if the recipe was for sale. She said she would ask the manager since no one had ever asked before. A while later the two left after Noah paid the bill and Kurt somehow managed to get the recipe from the cook. It took a while, but they both ended up exchanging a few recipes that they each knew by heart. Kurt had even given the chef his recipe for the parfait he had made the week before and broke down its nutrition information. Noah laughed at Kurt for being so excited over a recipe. Since it was getting late Kurt said they should call it a night. Noah agreed and they headed home.

When they got there it was past eleven o'clock and Kurt hoped his dad wouldn't be up since it was later than he usually stays out. Thankfully, Burt seemed to be upstairs and they both made it to their room quietly.

"We should just some sleep. We've got the game tomorrow night and we have to get up early to work out."

"Yeah, but we had a great time though didn't we?" Noah asked with a cocky grin.

"Yes it was some much needed fun," Kurt quickly agreed.

They both began to take off their clothes and get ready to sleep. Noah went into the closet to get some underwear since he was still going commando underneath his jeans. When Kurt was in nothing, but his underwear Noah emerged from the closet wearing only a pair of white boxers that hung a little too low on the half backs hips. Kurt watched out of the corner of his eye as Noah walked over and disappeared behind the privacy partition.

"Noah," Kurt called out softly, his voice quivering a bit for some reason he didn't understand.

"What's up?" Noah replied walking back out from behind the screen.

"Noah…" Kurt began, but didn't know what to say.

"What's wrong man?" Noah asked walking up to his friend.

"Noah… about… last night. What I said to you when I was drunk last night-"

"Kurt, its cool, just forget about it."

"Noah I want you to know, I meant what I said. You _are _a great guy Noah. Unlike Finn you were always honest about yourself and you never walked away when all of the jocks tormented us. You actually showed up to take the year book picture with us and Finn just never showed. As soon as you found out about Quinn you tried to take care of her, not because you were obligated to, but because you truly did care about her. Even if you didn't know how to show it. Every time we needed you, you stepped up and you didn't walk away, no matter how un-cool it made you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize all that."

"Kurt… you don't have to keep apologizing to me. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who should be sorry. Kurt for years I made your life a living hell. And here you are the person who probably has the most reason in the world to hate me and instead you made me your friend."

"Noah," Kurt spoke as he walked directly in front of his friend. "I forgive you. Everything that happened before, it doesn't matter now. The both of us… you and me. We've been through a lot, and lived through a lot. We're not the same people we were. You're a better man now, and that's all that matters to me."

Kurt just stared into Noah's warm chocolate brown eyes and almost reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek. Realizing what he was just about to do he stopped himself half way.

"I'm sorry… I… got carried away," Kurt stammered and turned to go back to his bed.

But as he turned he felt Noah grab his hand.

"Look at me," Noah commanded.

As if on automatic, Kurt's body turned around fearful he had made Noah angry by stepping over the line. However, instead of seeing a look of anger on his friends face he saw a look he had no idea how to place. Noah looked down into Kurt's eyes and saw how they kept changing color in the light of the basement. From a deep blue to an ocean green in a truly hypnotic array of emotion. It was like looking at the sea after a storm. With the sun shining into the water, but the wind still making the waves turbulent and deep. He could feel something once again coursing through him and yet again he was at a complete loss for what it was. Kurt tensed as he felt Noah wrap his large arms around his waist and pull him flush against the half backs body. Noah slowly leaned down and kissed Kurt's cheek. Kurt immediately relaxed and returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Noah's neck.

"You can kiss me Kurt," Noah spoke softly into Kurt's ear. "You're my boy now. And I'm not afraid or ashamed of that. If anyone has a problem with that then I'll beat the shit out of them."

Kurt smiled and hugged his friend tightly, with Noah returning it in full.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," a voice said from behind them.

They both turned and looked and saw Burt standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Uh, dad, I thought you were asleep," Kurt said as he let go of Noah.

"Obviously," Burt said eyeing his son and Noah. "What's going on here?"

It probably didn't help that they were both in their underwear.

"Nothing dad, we were just talking," Kurt explained a bit too quickly.

"Do you know how late it is? You were supposed to call me if you were going to be late. Remember?"

"That was my fault," Noah said. "I wanted Kurt to have some fun since he had a really bad day so I kinda kept him busy."

"Noah, I understand I'm not your father, but this is my house. And as long you live here I'll treat you the same as Kurt. Don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking in and out at night. From now on I want _both_ of you home by no later than 10 o'clock. If something happens you are to call me and let me know. Is that understood?"

They both just nodded, not wanting to get into anymore trouble than they probably already were.

"And if either of you break curfew again or sneak out in the middle of the night," he gave Noah a look, "You'll be grounded. Do you understand?"

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. This was all my fault," Noah declared.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again," Burt answered.

He looked between the two of them and then went back upstairs. The two friends let out a collective breath.

"Let's just go to sleep," Kurt said.

Noah agreed and watched as Kurt disappeared behind his side of the partition.

"_What the hell is it about him that's making me feel like this?" Noah thought to himself as he climbed into bed._

-Scene break-

The blaring of the alarm woke Kurt up and he groggily slammed his hand over the off button. He stumbled to bathroom and tried to wipe the drossiness from his eyes. Last night he didn't get much sleep and spent most of the night tossing and turning. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know his dad was upset. Kurt would have kicked himself for forgetting to call, but he was having too much fun to even remember. His time with Noah was a blast and he only wished Mercedes was there to watch Noah sing Aretha Franklin. Plus, he had gotten to know the badass of Lima far more personally than most people and it made Kurt feel a sense of joy when Noah said he wasn't ashamed of Kurt. It was worth the embarrassing moment that followed with his dad seeing them hugging in nothing, but their underwear.

He just hoped his dad would listen to him and let him explain that the entire situation was completely innocent. The last thing he wanted was for Noah to get kicked out and have nowhere to go. Although, Noah hadn't made his case easy to argue by sneaking out so much to go and hook up with random women. With a sigh Kurt simply turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. After drying himself off he went to get dressed. As he was putting on his shirt he called out to Noah to wake up. Not getting any response Kurt just walked over to Noah's side of the screen. Noah seemed to have had as much of sleepless night as his friend. Noah was sprawled out diagonally on the bed, face down, with his feet hanging off the bed to the side. The comforter looked like someone had tried to turn it into a rope and was wrapped around Noah's body like a snake. One of his pillows had been tossed on the floor and Noah's arm was dangling off the edge of the bed. Seeing his chance, Kurt went to Noah's night stand and picked up his cell. Quickly going through Noah's contacts he found the numbers he needed and copied them to his own cell. Putting Noah's phone back, Kurt returned to the foot of the bed before he tried to wake Noah up again.

"Noah," Kurt tried to wake him. "Noah wake up."

Noah grunted in response and simply turned away.

"Noah wake up, we've got a big day to start. Get up."

"I don't wanna," Noah moaned as he finally opened his eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to. We've got to meet the guys to work out, school, glee, and the football game. So come on, you got to get up sleepyhead."

Noah just grunted and tried to sit up, which wasn't easy in his position. When he finally managed to he let out a loud yawn and stretched out his body letting everything pop back into place. He looked over at Kurt blinkingly and Kurt had to suppress a laugh at the sight. Noah had a bad case of bed head and his hair stuck up like a cow lick pointing to the right. Noah hadn't cut his hair since he had got back from the summer. He admitted to Kurt that he wanted his Mohawk back and was planning to get it cut in time for the next game which was supposed to be today.

"It's time to get up already?" Noah asked groggily still trying to wipe the sleep away.

"Yes, now come on. We've got a busy day ahead of us and you've got to get ready. I'm gonna go upstairs and make us some breakfast and talk to dad."

"Kurt, maybe I should just leave," Noah said suddenly.

"Noah you are not going anywhere!"

"Kurt, I'm already on probation. I've got community service to start next Monday and your dad obviously doesn't approve of me very much. The last thing I want is for you to go down in flames with me."

"Noah, I told you before when I bailed you out that none of this was ever going to be easy. And you're right my dad obviously doesn't like the situation you're in right now. But, it's the situation he doesn't like and more importantly he doesn't like the choices you made that got you in this mess. So even I can't argue the fact that you have a past. But, if my dad wasn't willing to give you a shot he would have thrown you out already. He's not stupid Noah. You've been coming home in the middle of the night and sneaking in and out since you got here. Plus, it also doesn't help that he walked in on us having a moment last night while we were both in nothing, but our underwear. Just give it time Noah. What else have you got?"

"I just don't want my problems to mess you up. You've already did more for me than most people would."

"Now who's over dramatizing?" Kurt said with a self satisfied smirk. "Just tough it out for now. And in the mean time stop breaking curfew. If you want to rendezvous with women get your fill before then."

"Fine, I guess can deal with that," Noah replied. "Are we ok though? You know… with last night?"

"Of course we are. Now come on and jump in the shower. We've got to get going."

"What is it with you and telling me to take off my clothes? Are you trying to tell me something?" Noah waggled his eyebrows.

"And what would that be? Hmm…"

"You tell me Kurt. Are you trying to get a glimpse of Puckzilla?" Noah asked arrogantly

"Once again that seems to be something from your dreams Puck, not mine."

"Bullshit, everyone wants me Hummel. If you want to take a look Kurt, I won't mind," Noah told him and fondled his package suggestively. "Just remember you can look, but you can't touch."

"Well you _definitely_ know how to make someone feel special," Kurt said sarcastically.

"Damn right I do," Noah laughed.

Kurt just smacked him with a pillow and smirked in satisfaction. Noah responded by tackling Kurt onto his bed and tickling him mercilessly. Kurt tried to get out from underneath Noah, but he was effectively pinned down onto the half backs mattress.

"Stop," Kurt managed to breathe out in between laughs.

"Admit you love Puckzilla and I'll let you go," Noah teased after.

"Sorry, never gonna happen," Kurt stuck his tongue out.

This of course just caused Noah to redouble his efforts. Kurt was horribly ticklish even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone.

"Admit you love Puckzilla Kurt, I know you want to," Noah reiterated.

Noah looked down at Kurt's flushed face as Kurt looked up at him and couldn't help admire Kurt's natural appeal. This moment of admiration cost him though as Kurt took the opportunity to escape. Kurt saw the far away look in his friend's eyes and before Noah could react, Kurt reached out and poked Noah in his newly pierced nipple. Noah yelped in pain and Kurt slinked away from the half back.

"That was a total foul man," Noah said as he gingerly touched his nipple.

"Aww, what's wrong? I thought Puckzilla always liked it rough," Kurt said in satisfaction.

"Careful Hummel, I might start to think you want more than just a look at," Noah purred.

"Noah the way I see it, it's _you_ that wants a glimpse of my goods, not the other way around."

"Oh please Kurt, I know you can't resist all this prime kosher beef," Noah said loudly and began to flex all his muscles.

"Oh no baby; it's you that can't resist my peaches-n-cream," Kurt said sexily and turned his back on the jock and began walking up the stairs. "You know you want to slap it! You know you want to slap it!" Kurt nearly shouted giving his own behind a slap with each sentence causing Noah to laugh loudly.

Kurt walked into the kitchen trying to straighten his hair out, but still smiling. He got started on breakfast and decided to just make something light since they didn't have much time. Grabbing what he needed to make a batch of oatmeal Kurt began his usual culinary duties. As he was cooking his father came down and sat himself down at the table. He looked groggy and Kurt realized it was still over an hour before his dad would usually wake up.

"Morning dad."

"Good morning."

Kurt continued with his cooking until he heard his father speak the words he was dreading:

"We have to talk."

Resigned to the inevitable Kurt turned around and faced his father.

"Yeah dad?"

"Kurt, I don't think it was such a good idea to let Noah stay here."

"Dad this is a big adjustment for all of us. Noah just isn't used to having to account for himself so much."

"Kurt, I don't think he's a good influence on you. I don't want you getting mixed up with the wrong stuff."

"But, don't you see? That's why he has to stay here. Everyone expects the worst out of Noah already. No one even gives him the benefit of the doubt anymore."

"Son, is there something going on between you two?" Burt asked looking rather stern.

"Dad…"

"Is that why you want him to stay?"

"Dad!" Kurt snapped. "Noah is my _friend _and that is all. I would have done the same if it was Mercedes in trouble."

"Then why were you two holding each other undressed when I saw you last night?"

"Ok, first and foremost we are sharing the same room and bathroom. It's the same as being in a locker room. By now you've seen Noah walk around in his underwear all the time. And you live here with us and I've seen you in your underwear even more times than I've seen him. Do you really expect us to share a room and not see each other?"

"Alright I can see your point, but that doesn't explain why you two were holding on to each other as if you were about to… do more than that."

"Dad you don't understand what you walked in on. I was having a really bad day and Noah took me out to make me feel better. Over the course of the evening we… cleared the air officially between us. He apologized for being so cruel to me and I forgave him for all of it. And yes it got very emotional for the both of us. I was about to hug Noah and kiss him on cheek like I do with Mercedes a lot of the time, but I stopped myself before I did. I apologized and Noah hugged and kissed me to show me it was ok. He said he wasn't ashamed of me being his friend. This isn't like some repeat of the Finn fiasco. I don't have a crush on Noah and Noah… He is actually secure enough in his manhood to be completely at ease around me. I mean we might play flirt with each other and banter back and forth, but that's because we're friends. But that's all we are dad; friends. Noah is perfectly straight and nothing even remotely sexual is _ever_ going to happen between us."

"Alright I believe you Kurt. I'm sorry."

"Dad… it's ok. I know how it must have looked, but you have to remember not to judge by what you see."

"Kurt I'm not as trusting as you are. I let him live here because I knew it meant a lot to you, but I just don't want anything bad to happen to you if he makes another bad choice and robs a liquor store or something worse next time."

Kurt buried his face in his hands in frustration.

"Dad, if you don't know Noah Puckerman you shouldn't judge him."

"And you think you know him?"

"Better than you do apparently. Do you really think I'd be so stupid and naïve to just invite _anyone_ to live here?"

"I just don't think you're old enough to know a lost cause when you see one Kurt."

"I am so sick of having this argument with everyone. Dad you haven't even spent anytime with him since he's been here. You guys only talk when we're having dinner or watching a game together. Spend some real time with him dad and then judge for yourself. You're going to that football game with Finn Sunday night right?"

"Yeah, Finn has been talking about it for the past two weeks."

"Then take Noah with you too. Take him to the game along with Finn. Go… fishing together, talk to him about women and relationships. Teach him how to play poker. Or hire him to work at the garage and teach him cars too since he won't be doing pool cleaning for the next few months since it's almost October now. If after all that, you can _still_ look me in the eyes and tell me he's a lost cause I'll tell him myself to get out."

It was Burt's turn to rub his face as his son's words sunk into his already addled mind.

"Fine, I'll spend time with him, but I'm not going to treat him any different from Finn or you, do you understand me?"

"That's all I'm asking dad."

Kurt turned back to his cooking and he set up a plate for his dad and Noah. He went downstairs to get Noah finding him sitting on the couch obviously having heard the conversation. Not that he should be surprised since it had gotten rather loud.

"After the game tonight I'm just goanna get my stuff and leave."

"No! Noah you can't just leave."

"Kurt your dad doesn't want me here. I don't want you two to fight about me. Especially, since I know how much your dad means to you."

"I love my dad Noah, but I love you too," Kurt admitted, shocking the both of them.

"You… love me?"

"You're my friend Noah. I love you just as much as I do Cedes or Sam or the rest of us. So please, just trust me and tough it out. My dad will see you aren't such a bad guy and you'll see that my dad isn't going to just throw you out for no good reason ok?"

"Ok, but isn't this going to be a problem? You told me how much you wished your dad could spend more time with you."

"No it's not a problem. It wasn't that my dad was spending time with Finn I had a problem with remember? I just want him to be proud of me, and he will be once he realizes I was right. So don't make me wrong ok?"

"Ok man, I promise," Noah agreed and received a hug from his friend, which he returned.

"_What the hell did I ever do to deserve his faith in me?" Noah wondered __a__s he held the soprano in his arms._

"Come on we're going to be late and neither of us has eaten breakfast."

"Yes mommy," Noah pouted and Kurt scoffed at his friend's idiocy.

The both of them ate at the table with Burt and Noah tried to engage the older Hummel in conversation. Noah really didn't talk to parents much he had to admit. Most of the time he was sneaking out a window or whatever to avoid the parental units. But, he couldn't avoid Burt Hummel so he bore through the awkwardness. Thankfully, Burt saw he was making an effort and responded kindly. They talked amiably over breakfast until Kurt mentioned they had to get going. He told his father they would both be home late since they had a football game. Burt said he and Carole didn't have any plans and asked if there were anymore tickets for the game. Noah told Burt he could get the tickets since it's easier for the football players to get tickets. Burt thanked him and Kurt and Noah left. They got to the school and like always Sam and Artie were already there.

"Morning guys," Kurt greeted.

"Hey, Kurt. Um, you ok?" Artie asked worriedly.

"Don't worry I'm fine Artie. I just couldn't stand another Rachael Barry episode."

"Kurt, Sam told us about what Finn said," Artie declared concernedly.

"Forget about it. Sam and I already worked everything out. So let's just forget about it," Kurt answered.

"Yeah, besides right now, we got a game to get pumped for," Sam said.

"Totally," Noah agreed.

The guys went through their routine and when they went there separate ways Kurt told Artie about the plan for Sam's birthday. Artie seemed enthusiastic and said it was a great idea. After Kurt finished with his first class he ditched his second. Thankfully, they had a game and Cheerios were made exempt from going to class since Coach Sue always made sure to call the squad at any moment for a hardcore practice session. Kurt locked himself in bathroom stall and took out his cell phone.

Last night when he saw Noah eyes as he spoke about Sarah. Kurt could see how much Noah was hurting. Bracing himself Kurt dialed the first number. After a very awkward conversation Kurt hung up in relief. A moment later Kurt dialed the second number. Once again after an awkward conversation Kurt hung up. Only this time the answer he got was, maybe. A maybe. Kurt just hoped that what he asked for was possible. Leaving the bathroom Kurt went to the library to try and find a quiet place to collect himself. Sitting at an empty table Kurt pulled out his sketch pad and began drawing.

"Kurt."

Kurt looked up and saw Finn. As expected Finn was wearing his usual, 'Please-forgive-me-cause-I-look-like-a-kicked-puppy-face'.

"So, uh… what are you drawing?"

"Nothing much just an idea I had that didn't work out," Kurt replied as he continued to work on the drawing.

"Wait isn't that… wow. Santana looks really amazing. But, uh, what are drawing her for?"

"No reason really. I had this idea for a dress I thought Santana would look very lovely in. It's a very delicate blend of the old and the new to create a more… daring yet still classy take on the Spanish cocktail dress. It's mostly done in black satin with a touch of red lace to kick it up another degree. I trimmed the waist line and then I made the slit in the legs larger to make it more daring yet I added a lace frill to it to make it less trampy and more lady like. Plus, Santana has wonderful legs so I know she wouldn't have any difficulty rocking the look. Over the waist I placed a long lace sash for more color with black and red embroidery of roses and rose petals. After all I can't think of a tango without a woman holding a rose. Then for the top I made it sleeveless with over the shoulder straps that tie together in the back. This accentuates the bust and gives support. I almost made it strapless, but then it just looked very slutty and left far too much cleavage," Kurt explained.

Finn looked completely confused on what Kurt explained.

"Um, that sounds really nice."

"SSSHHH," the old librarian hushed them.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered and put his sketch pad back into his bag.

Kurt walked out of the library and Finn followed closely behind.

"Uh listen Kurt, I think we should talk."

"About?"

"Look I'm sorry, alright. I shouldn't have given you a hard time about Sam. Can we just go back to being friends?"

"Finn do you actually mean that or are you just apologizing because now the rest of glee club knows what happened and Mr. Shue probably told you, you had to apologize to me."

"Kurt why are you being such a jerk? All you do anymore is insult me and you walk around with this attitude as if you're telling everyone to go screw themselves."

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he responded.

"You're right. You're right Finn. My attitude lately has been far from exemplary. But, if you really want to know why I'm being such a jerk I'll tell you. I'm tired of you and everyone else walking all over me. You tell me you want us to go back to being friends. In reality I can't even remember a time when we were ever friends. Most of the times I was being an idiot and idolizing and crushing on you. And you were either tossing me into a dumpster or reacting badly to my advances or just being a complete homophobe."

"I'm not a homophobe Kurt. I'm sorry about using that word in your basement, but you just kept pushing me."

"I know Finn I know. And I'm sick of having this conversation. But, if you want to hear it again I'll say it one last time. I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept pushing you and I shouldn't have started all of this. But, you can't hate me anymore than I already hate myself. And now that I see the real you I don't like you Finn. I don't even want to be your friend. And I'm not going to accept your apology either. In the end that's not going to change… anything. You can't just flash me some puppy dog look, apologize and make everything all better automatically. Real life doesn't work that way Finn. But, that doesn't mean I have to be such a jerk to you about it either. So how about instead, we just call a truce and we go our own separate ways."

Finn looked completely deflated as if someone had just sucked all the air out of him. Kurt held out his hands and after a long moment Finn took it. They shook hands and then Kurt simply walked off to his next class. Kurt messaged his temples, only half listening to the teacher drone on about the rate of mitosis. He could only take on so much drama at once and it was already giving him a migraine. Unfortunately, he knew it wasn't over since he still had the meeting with glee club next. And he had an inevitable confrontation with Mr. Shue, which wasn't going to be fun to say the least.

Kurt went to his locker straight after the bell and then to the choir room. Everyone else was already there and Kurt took his customary seat beside Mercedes.

"Alright guys, now that we are all here, we can continue from yesterday before all the madness started," Mr. Shue declared. "First and foremost, yesterday, I talked to Principal Figgins. Next week on Friday night we are going to have a parent teacher conference. I managed to convince Figgins to also let us put on an assembly. So next Friday night all of you are going to be on stage."

"Mr. Shue I think that's an amazing I idea. I already have a myriad of songs my repertoire that I believe will be perfect for us to sing," Rachael piped in.

"Oh here we go again," Mercedes groaned.

"Don't start," Mr. Shue snapped. "And Rachael, I'm afraid your going to have to put those songs away because this time you will all be divided up. After yesterday's outburst from all of you, it's obvious you guys need a lesson in team work. Originally, I was going to have you all choose a duet partner to sing with, and each of you would take a turn out on the stage together. Now, instead of letting you choose, I'm taking the choice out of your hands."

"But, Mr. Shue there are thirteen of us, someone's going to be left out," Quinn stated.

"That's true, so I decided that the final three are going to be put together as a trio instead of a duet this way everyone will have to work together."

"But, how are you going to choose who gets paired with whom?" Rachael asked uneasily.

"Simple, I've decided that once again the hat of fate will decide," Mr. Shue answered getting a collective groan from the students. "You guys get whoever you get and there is no arguing about it. You can't switch partners and you can't drop out. You will work with whoever you get and that's final."

Mr. Shue grabbed the hat and placed it on the piano.

"Artie, would you like to start us off?" Mr. Shue beckoned.

Artie rolled over to the hat and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it up and his face fell.

"Rachael," he declared uneasily.

"Alright, now Sam."

Sam walked up and drew out a name.

"Mike," Sam announced.

"Tina your turn."

Tina walked over and read out the name she had drawn.

"Puck."

"Alright, Brittany how would you like to go?" Mr. Shue beckoned.

"Go where?" she asked blinkingly.

"He means it your turn to pick a partner Brit," Artie explained smiling at his girlfriend.

"Oh, I pick Artie. We still haven't sung together yet."

"No Brittany, Artie already has a partner. You have to pick one from inside the hat here," Mr. Shue explained.

Brittany looked rather sad, but walked up to the hat and picked out a name.

"Quinn."

"Alright Finn it's your turn."

Finn took a deep breath and walked over to the hat. As he saw the name on the paper he looked up at Mr. Shuester.

"Santana."

"What? No way! She is not singing with _my_ boyfriend," Rachael yelled shooting up from her chair.

"I already told you, you get who you get and that is final," Mr. Shue reminded.

"Do something," Rachael hissed at Finn.

"Uh Mr. Shue, I'm all up for this whole team work thing, but I think it would be better if just choose someone else."

"That's not what you said last year in that motel room," Santana smirked.

"Enough!" Mr. Shue yelled. "I am tired of all this bickering back and forth. Whatever your issues you will just have to work them out and learn how to work together because the partners are final."

Rachael looked as if she was about to storm out in her usual fashion. But, Finn took her hand and they both sat down.

"Alright, that leaves Mercedes, Matt, and Kurt. You guys are the trio so make sure you guys come up with something good."

"Mr. Shue, Mercedes and Matt are black and I'm gay. We _make_ culture. We'll have no problem coming up with an awe inspiring number," Kurt with his superior tone.

"For real," Mercedes agreed. "We are going to so rock everyone's world. With my chocolate thunder, Matt's awesome dance moves, and Kurt's show biz pizzazz we have got this in the bag."

Matt blushed at the praise and Kurt gave him a thumbs up and Mercedes smiled at him, making him blush even deeper.

"Now that's what I want to hear," Mr. Shue laughed. "All of you guys will have to come up with musical numbers for the assembly. You all have creative freedom. Just remember this is for the entire school and all of your parents will be there so try not to do anything too outrageous."

"Don't worry Mr. Shue I'm sure I'll be able to contain myself," Kurt said while examining his finger nails.

Some of the glee club members laughed remembering Kurt's sexy dancing episode the day before.

"Aaww and I was hoping you and Brit would finally get to finish the number," Puck laughed.

"So you really do love me!" Kurt exclaimed playfully batting his eye lashes at the half back.

Most of the fellow glee students laughed while a few looked between the pair in surprise. They knew they were living together now, but actually seeing the former enemies being so friendly to each other was very surreal.

"Now in the mean time I also have an assignment for all of you," Mr. Shue informed interrupting the banter.

He walked up to the whiteboard and wrote down a single word: Colors.

"Colors always bring certain things to mind. Whether its memories or emotions. So I want each of you to find a song that has a color in the title of it and sing it for glee."

Once the assignment was given out Mr. Shue dismissed them, but told Kurt to stay.

"Kurt, I want to know what's going on with you."

"Nothing as far as I know Mr. Shue," Kurt shrugged.

"Kurt I know what Finn said to you-"

"It doesn't matter Mr. Shue. I could care less what Finn has to say anymore."

"If that's true why did the both of you behave so terribly yesterday?"

"Mr. Shue despite all evidence to the contrary my behavior yesterday had nothing to do with Finn Hudson," Kurt stated.

"Then what was all that really about Kurt? 'Cause I gotta say I don't like what I'm seeing out of either of you lately."

"Mr. Shue as to what's in Finn's mind I'm not even going to try and guess. My outburst yesterday wasn't about him."

"Then what is this about Kurt?"

"You."

Mr. Shuester looked at Kurt in confusion.

"Me?"

"Yes, Mr. Shuester, you."

"Kurt what exactly are you talking about?"

"Mr. Shuester, despite how well meaning you are, there are times when you are just about the most oblivious teacher in this school," Kurt sighed. "If you really care, open your eyes and figure it out yourself because I'm tired of having to explain everything to everyone lately."

With that Kurt turned around and left Mr. Shue in a state of confusion in the choir room. Kurt hoped Mr. Shue would figure it out. Kurt figured that if he wasn't going to be here anymore the least he could do is make glee better before he left. He just hoped Mr. Shue got enough of a hint to start looking where Kurt had pointed him.

-chapter end-

-Authors notes-

Songs used in this chapter:

Mya - My Love Is Like Wo

Cynthia & Johnny O - Can't We Try Just A Little Bit Harder

Beyonce - Single Ladies

Aretha Franklin – Natural Woman

Duet Pairings:

Artie & Rachael

Sam & Mike

Quinn & Brittany

Puck& Tina

Finn & Santana

Mercedes & Matt & Kurt

All right everyone, here is the next chapter. I was surprised by all of the people urging me to continue with my story so I decided to give it another shot since I also hated the idea of giving up on the story. Although, to be honest I have so many ideas I'm having trouble figuring out what to keep and what to nix. Especially, about the musical numbers since for some strange reason a few of them ended up on the show before I ever had the chance to write them into my story. Maybe I have been watching Glee too much. But, in any case I will continue with this story and hopefully, finish this.

Now as to the duets, believe it or not I chose them at random. I wrote down all their names and just started to pick them out except for Kurt Matt and Mercedes. I actually laughed aloud when I pulled out Finn and Santana. The rest I have to come up with musical numbers for. I hope I can rise to my own challenge. I'm already having some difficulties trying to come up with musical numbers, but thankfully I have some chapters before I have to put anything down. I just hope you will all like what I have in mind.

Now in this chapter I am starting to push Kurt and Puck together, but I am still planning for it to take a while. I planted the seed, but I was hoping to make it as believable as possible so it's going to be a while before anything big happens. But, along the way I'm hoping to make some interesting situations. So everyone, please review and let me know your thoughts. I know a lot of people have been reading this since I keep getting story alert messages, but I still only get a fraction of reviews. So please, leave a review and help me out.


	8. Colors of Fruition

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Colors of Fruition

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: LaLaTink

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin Chapter-

Kurt was getting dressed as Noah was in the shower. Last nights football game had taken a lot out of both of them. Coach Sue was her usual self demanding perfection and giving no encouragement when she got it. But for Kurt it was especially arduous with his dad there. His dad knew he was a cheerleader, but the only time he had come to a game was when Kurt played kicker. Kurt was glad for that since being a cheerleader wasn't seen as all that manly and the idea of his father seeing him in a Cheerios uniform was rather unpleasant. He was so preoccupied he almost messed up a triple back flip and landed on poor Becky. Needless to say the coach Sue wasn't pleased.

Thankfully, Noah had a better night on the field than he did. The football team had kept their winning streak, but just barely. Noah actually managed to make the winning touchdown at just the last second. Kurt personally was amazed since moments before Noah had taken a big hit from a right tackle. But, Noah shot back up and caught the pass and made the run just in time. Noah hadn't said anything, but Kurt knew he was trying to impress his dad. Although, when Kurt commented on this Noah said he was able to do it since he had gotten his Mohawk back.

And Kurt had to admit to himself he was proud of his dad for cheering Noah on. He hoped they both kept it up. Tonight though was family dinner night and they were all going out to BreadStiX to celebrate his dad's recovery. He had called a truce with Finn yesterday, but he was still worried about him and Noah. It was doubtful anything would happen, but he was still feeling anxiety over it. After all, a fight at a restaurant between the two of them would ruin his plans. Not to mention breaking a chair on Finn's back would probably be a deal breaker for Carole. He just had to be careful and tread slowly.

Turning his thoughts away from any imminent disaster Kurt went upstairs to make breakfast. As he did he thought about a song for the colors assignment. He had one in mind. The song was one of his favorites actually. The only problem though was the lyrics. As he had read the lyrics on his sheet music and the song had reminded him a bit too much of his situation with Finn. He thought about finding another version of the lyrics, but instead he decided he didn't care. It was just an assignment and any similarity was a coincidence.

Also, he wanted to get the extra assignment out of the way to concentrate on a musical number for next Friday's assembly. Kurt's mind was rushing from all the ideas he had, but he wanted to see what Matt and Mercedes had to say. He wondered what ideas Matt would have since he seemed so painfully shy. The guy just seemed to stay in the background. Maybe this would be a good chance to get him in the spotlight. He couldn't remember a time when had Matt sung anything, but chorus. It would be interesting to see what Matt could come up with.

Calling Noah to tell him breakfast was ready Kurt put his plate on the table along with his own and began eating. Noah came upstairs wincing as his back was still bruised. Not to mention, it didn't help that Noah was not a morning person. Kurt was used to starting his days early, since he was the cook in the house; he had to manage his time very well. His dad just couldn't cook to save his life, and since his mom's death he took on a lot of the things she used to do. It wasn't hard since he had always helped his mom do them, and his dad, just couldn't get the more complicated aspects of house keeping.

"You were awesome at the game last night. The crowd went wild after you made that score at the last second."

"Yeah, it was sweet. But, we almost got our asses kicked. We don't have a decent kicker. Langanthal sucks. He can't score worth a damn."

"Well, hopefully, Coach Beiste will find someone," Kurt shrugged.

"They won't be as good you though. Why don't you join back up? We could use you on the field."

"No way, I am never going to be a football player. I had enough of the experience to know that," Kurt said shaking his head.

"I could talk to Coach Beiste. You'd be a shoe in," Noah insisted.

"I appreciate the thought, but we both know I don't belong there," Kurt said solemnly. "The team didn't want me there in the first place. If I tried to go back I'd get my ass kicked. And there has already been enough drama surrounding us already. There is no need to go looking for trouble."

"Kurt I'd protect you if you really wanted to play again, and I'm not lying about the team really needing you—even if they'd never admit it."

"That's very kind of you Noah, but you and I know you're on probation until you finish your community service in mid November. Just one fight, just one mistake, and you'll be thrown back in juvie. Besides, I like being a Cheerio more, I get to work on my singing and it's gotten me into better shape."

"Well, I got your back if you ever change your mind," Noah said.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," Kurt told his friend sincerely.

They finished eating and Kurt went downstairs to get his things. Going into the closet he decided to bring an extra set of clothes for his number. Grabbing an Alexander McQueen suit and a matching fedora hat Kurt packed them away carefully not wanting it to crease. He also grabbed the sheet music for the color song and a few others to discuss with Matt and Mercedes. He had already talked to them on the phone the night before and they agreed to meet at lunchtime in the auditorium to discuss their performance.

On the way to school Kurt told Noah his plan for Sam's birthday next Wednesday. Noah said it sounded like fun and thought maybe they could get all the guys together and sing Sam a song. Kurt thought that might be nice although, the look on Noah's face made Kurt think twice. The two made it to school with no problems and Kurt congratulated the guys on their win. Sam looked happy they won, but Kurt knew he was feeling down since he hadn't gotten to play at all. Knowing better than to mention it, Kurt just stayed quiet.

The routine work out went by as normal although, Sam was pushing himself even harder now to try and get his spot back. By the time they were done Sam was drenched in sweat. In trying to keep up with him the other guys weren't much better. They went to take a shower and Kurt debated about whether or not he should join them. Seeing as how it was still early Kurt decided to go for it, but to make it fast. Scrubbing himself as fast as he could Kurt got out first before his friends. By the time he was dressed in a fresh set of clothes the guys were just getting out of the shower.

As they got dressed the guys talked about the performance coming up next Friday. Artie was already having problems with Rachael. After the meeting Rachael had started bombarding him with song selections barely letting him get a word in. And when he did manage to interject his ideas she just brushed them off as if Artie were a two year old who didn't know what he was talking about. If it wasn't for Mr. Shue being adamant about them being unable to quit and not perform he would have done it already. Kurt really felt bad for Artie, but there was nothing he could do for his friend.

When they were done getting dressed they went there separate ways. The students were already starting to show up and Kurt went to his locker to get his books for the first half of the day. Spotting Tina and Mike coming down the hallway together he waved them over hoping to talk to them.

"Hey Kurt, what's up?" Tina greeted.

"I needed to talk to you guys about something."

"Sure, what's going on?" Tina asked.

"Well, next Wednesday is actually Sam's birthday," Kurt informed.

"Really? He never mentioned it," Mike said.

"Yeah, and I was thinking after school, in the choir room, instead of regular glee practice, we could all have a party. We could just relax have fun, and I could bake a birthday cake."

"That sounds really cool," Tina said with Mike agreeing.

"I'm going to ask Mr. Shue about it next period so if he says yes then the party is a definite go," Kurt informed.

They both agreed to keep the party on the down low of course since Kurt wanted it to be a surprise. Kurt went to Spanish class and handed in his homework. He saw the look Mr. Shue had on his face when he walked in and felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps, he had been too harsh on his teacher, but Kurt thought that he needed a serious wake up call. Sitting down Kurt could see the confusion he had left his teacher in from yesterday still lingering on his shoulders. Hopefully, he could see through it to make the glee club better. They all needed him; Kurt knew that without a single doubt. None of them would have ever have gotten together if it wasn't for him. Kurt had no doubt that the man cared about them and that his heart was in the right place. That was more than most teachers at this school.

"Excuse me Mr. Shue, there is something I need to discuss with you," Kurt said as everyone was filing out of class.

"Sure Kurt, what do you need?"

"Next Wednesday is Sam's birthday and I was wondering if it was ok for us to have a glee party for him after school instead of our usual meeting. I thought it might help everyone relax and bond a bit before the big showdown on Friday night."

"That's a good idea Kurt. It won't be a problem although; today we have to decide on a schedule, so that everyone has a time when they can use the auditorium to rehearse."

"Well that's a good idea," Kurt agreed. "I'm meeting Mercedes and Matt later to discuss our number for the assembly. I'll mention it to them."

Mr. Shue looked like he wanted to say something more but didn't. Kurt just smiled politely and went to his next class. In English class they ended up having a test on Shakespeare's play Othello. The test reminded him of Sam and the trouble he was having with classes. Literature and poetry seemed to be his main weak point, but thankfully Kurt had already helped him with his Shakespeare. He had been getting better though and Kurt was actually very proud. The blonde definitely deserved some praise for all his hard work.

At the end of that class he headed for the auditorium to meet with Matt and Mercedes. On the way he spotted Rachel and Finn and decided to talk to take the chance to inform them about Sam's birthday. Rachel said it was a great idea and that she could bake her famous sugar cookies for the occasion. Finn said he thought it was cool uneasily. It was obvious he still wasn't sure how to behave around Kurt. He told them both to keep it a surprise and then left them to there own devices.

Mercedes greeted him as he walked into the auditorium, "Hey Kurt."

"Hi," Matt said simply, but with a small smile.

"Hello you guys," Kurt greeted warmly. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to talk to Finn and Rachael about Sam's birthday next Wednesday. I was hoping we could have a glee party for him after school. Mr. Shue gave us the go ahead so I'm letting everyone know."

"How did you know it was Sam's birthday?" Mercedes asked since she herself had barely talked to the blonde yet.

"He and I have been hanging out a lot lately. After the whole duet assignment he got Quinn to bring him over to my place to apologize. He thought I wouldn't sing with him because he thought he had offended me somehow. Once we got everything straightened out we talked and he admitted to having trouble with his dyslexia, so I tutor him now on Sunday's. In fact Sam, Noah, Artie, and I all meet up everyday before school. We've been doing a lot of major working out to get in better shape," Kurt explained.

"That sounds really cool," Matt said.

"Well if you want you could join us," Kurt offered. "I doubt the guys would mind and you are on the football team so it would help when you play. Although, I have to warn you though, Sam is bit fanatical about physical fitness."

"Are you sure the guys wont mind? I don't want to butt in," Matt asked unsurely.

"Of coarse not" Kurt reassured. "If you want I'll ask them myself, but I doubt it will be a problem. But, like I said before we meet up super early in the morning. Noah is already a pain to get up so early in the morning. Would you have any trouble meeting us?"

"No, I don't mind. I can just make sure to set my alarm for earlier," Matt said.

"Great," Kurt smiled. "So do you guys have any ideas about our musical number?"

"Did you bring your portfolio? There were a lot of things in there that we can do," Mercedes stated, which made Kurt nervous.

He still wanted to keep it a secret and Mercedes mentioning it so casually in front of Matt wasn't good.

"Actually, I thought we could just wing it. Besides, I already have some ideas, but I wanted to see what you guys were thinking before we decided on anything for the performance."

"As long as it has a good dance rhythm I don't mind what you guys pick out to sing. I'll just dance around you guys, while you perform," Matt shrugged.

"But that's not fair Matt," Mercedes said. "It's supposed to be the three of us doing this together."

"I must say, I agree completely with Mercedes. Matt we're supposed to be a team and it wouldn't be right for us to just shove you in the background."

"But… I mean besides singing chorus when were performing together I never… sang before," Matt said nervously. "I don't really sing in front of anyone except when I just lock myself in my room and listen to music."

"Well then how about we take this chance for you to try?" Kurt suggested. "What kind of music do you usually sing?"

Matt looked down at his shoes uncomfortably. It was obvious he wasn't used to such scrutiny.

"Just music," Matt said unhelpfully.

"What kind of music?" Mercedes pressed.

"Well, it's kinda embarrassing," Matt said looking even more nervous.

"Matt, last year I taught the entire football team the choreography for 'Single Ladies.' I doubt you have anything more embarrassing than that."

"Well, I really like 80's music. Like rock music, but also stuff like disco and a bunch of other stuff from the 80's," Matt admitted.

"That's cool," Mercedes reassured. "I'm more rhythm and blues, but I like R&B and hip hop music too."

"Yeah, and I'm very heavy into show tunes, but since I have been working on my vocal range I have expanded my tastes in music also. So that means we have a lot to work with," Kurt said enthusiastically.

They continued back and forth; each one with their own song ideas, with Matt slowly coming out of his shell. Although when Kurt asked Matt to sing one of his favorite songs it took a while to convince him to. Mercedes and Kurt promised not to laugh and after a few minutes he agreed. Both Kurt and Mercedes were stunned into silence. Matt was amazing although, a bit shaky. He was clearly nervous and faltered a bit here and there, but Kurt and Mercedes knew it was just his confidence wavering. When he finished they each applauded, and Kurt said that Matt just had to sing the male lead for their number.

Mercedes agreed immediately although Matt was very apprehensive. Matt's song choice gave Kurt a huge idea and he explained to the both of them what he had in mind.

"Oh my god, that sounds amazing. But, how can we pull that off?" Mercedes exclaimed.

"Well I can ask the Cheerios for help. I'm still on the squad and they liked helping me with my duet number."

"But Kurt isn't that going too far?" Matt asked. "I mean the idea _sounds _great, but even if the Cheerios help could we pull it off? And are we even aloud to ask for their help? I thought it was only supposed to be the three of us."

"Mr. Shue gave us total creative freedom. And he never said we _couldn't _get help from the Cheerios. He also never officially put down any rules or made this a competition so it shouldn't matter," Kurt explained although, Matt still looked uneasy.

They decided on when to practice and Kurt filled them in on what Mr. Shue said about scheduling the auditorium so they would all have a chance to us it to practice. But Kurt said they should instead use the gymnastics room to practice. Only the Cheerios were allowed to use it and he could give them unrestricted access. It was large enough for them to practice the choreography for the number in and it would help them keep it a secret. The vocals they could practice after school and then just bring it all together. With everything worked out Kurt took off to talk to some of the Cheerios he knew would help them out.

By the end of the day he had tracked them all down and gotten them to agree to help out. He also talked to the rest of the glee members about Sam's birthday, but told them it was a surprise. The day passed in a blur until it was time to head to the choir room for glee. Mr. Shue was writing out an outline on the whiteboard while the rest of the students filed in.

"Alright you guys, before we get started I want to write down and agree on a schedule so you can all share the auditorium to rehearse your numbers," Mr. Shue instructed.

They all went around choosing what times they preferred. Since Kurt, Mercedes and Matt had already discussed their number beforehand it wasn't a problem. The rest of the group took their time figuring it all out and it started to get heated thanks to Rachel demanding the most time.

"Mr. Shue you can't be serious! Quinn and Brittany don't need that much time to rehearse. I doubt they will be able to come up with anything that could need that much preparation time. I need more time in the auditorium since the number I have in mind will be far more glamorous and will need more preparation since Artie can't dance."

Even Finn had to look at her in shock for what she just said.

"You know I used to think you were just annoying, but now I seriously feel like punching you every time you open your mouth," Quinn declared obviously upset at Rachel's backhanded insults.

"Rachel, if you're really as talented as you claim you wouldn't be so demanding," Kurt remarked angrily in his diva tone.

"Oh please Kurt, I've already proven myself as the best singer here. If we're going to impress the school this club needs to wow them with the best they got," Rachel responded as if she was trying to explain the obvious to a two year old.

"Rachel, when you audition out on Broadway you'll have to show them just how amazing you are with nothing more than just a few songs you carry with you on sheet music. When we did our duet competition, the night before, I called half of the Cheerios and Mike to help me out. We came to school early and thanks to both me and Mike we got all the choreography done in less than one hour. Then I found Sam and told him we couldn't sing together. I got everyone together one last time at lunch time and used the auditorium to do _one_ full dress rehearsal and to make sure everyone had the choreography down. That was all done in one lunch period which was forty minutes. Broken down that's ten minutes to get everyone dressed. Twenty minutes of rehearsing and another ten for everyone to change back into their clothes and get back to class. After that we performed the number for glee."

"And you still lost," Rachel pointed out.

"That number was still amazing though," Sam cut in. "I loved it. And even though I got to sing with Quinn like I wanted, Kurt's number was _still_ amazing."

"Thanks Sam," Kurt replied to his friend. "Oh and Mr. Shue, Matt and Mercedes and I have already discussed our number. We knew we couldn't use the auditorium as much as we would have liked so we found a solution. We found another location to rehearse our number and we will only need the stage on Monday morning for thirty minutes to figure out technical issues. After that we just need to use the auditorium Thursday after school for one final rehearsal to make sure everything comes together."

"Where are you guys going to rehearse?" Rachel asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it. We're going to do the best we can with everything we got," Mercedes said proudly.

"Yeah," Matt agreed, giving Kurt a high five.

"That's great you guys," Mr. Shue said grateful everyone seemed to calm down. "Now, since our trio here has graciously given up much of their stage time there's more to go around. And Rachel, _everyone_ is going to get equal time to use the auditorium."

Rachel looked put out, but thankfully said nothing more. Mr. Shue wrote out the schedule and everyone wrote their times down.

"OK, now that we got that out of the way, does any one have a number for the assignment?"

"Actually Mr. Shue, I've got a song I would like to sing," Mercedes stood up with a big smile.

"Then take it away," Mr. Shue said and sat down with glee club.

"So anyway, I would like to dedicate this number to Kurt," Mercedes declared.

Kurt looked at her in surprise, not knowing what she was up to. Mercedes gave the band the go ahead and the music began to play.

_Take a good look at it  
Look at it now  
Might be the last time you'll  
Have a go round  
I'll let you touch it if you'd  
Like to go down  
I'll let you go further  
If you take the southern route  
Don't go too fast  
Don't go too slow  
You've got to let your body flow  
I like 'em attentive  
And I like 'em in control_

Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
I'll give you the red light special  
All through the night  
Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
Just come through my door  
Take off my clothes  
And turn on the red light

Mercedes was standing proudly, singing out in a sexy sultry voice. Kurt couldn't help the huge smile that had crept up onto his face.

_I know that you want me I can  
See it in your eyes  
You might as well be honest 'cause the  
Body never lies  
Tell me your secrets and I'll  
I'll tell you mine  
I'm feelin' quite sexy  
And I want you for tonight  
If I move too fast just let me know  
'Cause it means you move too slow  
I like some excitement  
And I like a man that goes_

_Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
I'll give you the red light special  
All through the night  
Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
Just come through my door  
Take off my clothes  
And turn on the red light_

Mercedes was certainly getting into the spirit of the song. Her voice was perfect and all the guys were looking at the diva with new eyes. She had taken Kurt's words about being sexy to heart and was putting on an amazing show in her usual diva fashion.

_If you want me  
Let me know it  
I'll make time but  
You've got to show it  
If you need me  
I want to see  
But don't mistake me  
I don't want you down on your knees  
I need someone a real man  
I need someone who understands  
I'm a woman a real woman  
I know just what I want  
I know just who I am!_

_Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
I'll give you the red light special  
All through the night  
Baby it's yours  
All yours  
If you want it tonight  
Just come through my door  
Take off my clothes  
And turn on the red light_

The music ended and everyone cheered. Kurt just stood up and gave his best friend a big hug.

"Now _that's _what I'm talking about girl! That was real Carmen of you," Kurt said proudly.

"Damn right boo," Mercedes laughed.

"Hey Aretha, I'm sure I could turn on your red light," Puck laughed.

"Sorry Puck, but _'you're too little and you're too late__,__'_" Mercedes answered, making Kurt laugh at the obvious quote.

Everyone had a good laugh and Mercedes and Kurt sat back down.

"Mercedes that was wonderful," Mr. Shue stood back up. "Anyone else have a song?"

"Yeah, I do," Santana said.

Mr. Shue gave her the floor and Santana began to sing.

_Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell  
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high  
Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder  
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky  
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything  
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for_

Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees  
Black velvet if you please

Everyone was watching as Santana sang and danced to the music. But, the entire time she just kept looking right at Finn. Finn looked uncomfortable and Rachel just looked pissed.

_Up in Memphis the music's like a heatwave  
White lightening, bound to drive you wild  
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl  
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle  
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true  
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for_

Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees  
Black velvet if you please

There was no doubt Santana was fantastic. But, there was no doubt either about what was going on. The rest of the club just watched in rapt silence, and Kurt just hoped another fight didn't start. By the looks of it the only thing keeping Rachel in her chair was Finn tightly holding her hand.

_Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees  
Black velvet if you please_

Every word of every song that he sang was for you  
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon, what could  
You do?

Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees  
Black velvet if you please

Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees  
Black velvet if you please  
If you please, if you please, if you please

The song finished and everyone applauded. Santana just smirked and took her seat. Before Mr. Shue even had a chance to ask who was next, Rachel darted out of her chair.

"Finn I chose this song just for you," she said and gave the sheet music to the band before taking the floor.

_I know you think that I shouldn't still love you  
Or tell you that  
But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it  
Where's the sense in that?_

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder  
Or return to where we were

But I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

Rachel as usual was singing her heart out only this time she kept glaring back at Santana. Santana just rolled her eyes, finding it amusing that Rachel even thought they were in the same league.

_I know I left too much mess and destruction  
To come back again  
And I caused nothing but trouble  
I understand if you can't talk to me again_

And if you live by the rules of it's over  
Then I'm sure that that makes sense

But I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

In between looking lovingly at Finn and the glares at Santana the message was clear. _'I love Finn, and I won't let you take him without a fight!'_ Kurt groaned inwardly at the clear animosity and just hoped this didn't end too badly.

_And when we meet, which I'm sure we will  
All that was there will be there still  
I'll let it pass and hold my tongue  
And you will think that I've moved on_

I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

The song finished and everyone clapped politely, except Santana.

"Alright who would like to go next?" Mr. Shue asked.

"Mr. Shue, I have a song," Brittany said.

"Ok Brittany, go ahead."

The music began and Brittany began to sing.

_You think I'm an ignorant savage  
You've been so many places, I guess it must be so  
Still I cannot see if the savage one is me  
How can there be so much that you don't know? You don't know_

You think you own whatever land you land on  
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim  
But I know every rock and tree and creature  
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people  
Are the people all who look and think like you  
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger  
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon  
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?  
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?  
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?  
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Artie just couldn't help but smile at Brittany. No mattered what anyone said, she was so innocent and kind, it was impossible for him not to love her.

_Come, run the hidden pine trails of the forest  
And come, taste the sun, sweet berries of the earth  
Come, roll in all the riches all around you  
And for once, never wonder what they're worth, no_

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers  
The heron and the otter are my friends  
And we are all connected to each other  
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

How high does the sycamore grow?  
If you cut it down then you'll never know

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon  
For whether we are white or copper skinned  
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains  
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the earth and still  
All you'll own is earth until  
You can paint with all the colors  
All the colors of the wind, oh yeah

Once again the room filled with applause although a lot more enthusiastically than last time.

"Brittany that was beautiful, but you were supposed to pick a song with a color in the title," Mr. Shue laughed.

"It has the word color in the title," Brittany said in confusion.

"You're right Brittany it does," Mr. Shue agreed and just smiled at the blonde. "So, who is next?"

"I would like to go next Mr. Shue," Artie declared.

"Go for it!"

Artie wheeled himself over to the instruments and picked up his electric guitar. He adjusted the amp and then began to play. A low mournful sound came out of the amp as he strummed the chords of the guitar in his hands.

_No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man, to be the sad man  
Behind blue eyes_

No one knows what it's like  
To be hated, to be fated  
To telling only lies

But my dreams, they aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be  
I have hours, only lonely  
My love is vengeance that's never free

No one knows what it's like  
To feel these feelings like I do  
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard  
On their anger, none of my pain and woe  
Can show through

They had never heard Artie sing like this before. So much sadness and rage just kept pouring out in waves. The guitars sounds sounded like it was crying and Artie's voice sounded filled with anger. And everyone noticed as he glanced up at Rachel. Apparently he hadn't liked Rachel's backhanded insult anymore than Quinn did. But whether or not he chose this song just then or beforehand no one knew. Rachel at least had the decency to look ashamed of herself. Hopefully, she would at least apologize.

_But my dreams, they aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be  
I have hours, only lonely  
My love is vengeance that's never free_

When my fist clenches, crack it open  
Before I use it and lose my cool  
When I smile, tell me some bad news  
Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil  
Put your finger down my throat  
And if I shiver, please give me a blanket  
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man, to be the sad man  
Behind blue eyes

The song ended and Brittany shot out of her chair. Artie had just enough time to put the guitar down before she threw herself into his arms. All the girls except Rachel got up to hug Artie while the guys applauded.

"Artie you were amazing," Mr. Shue said clapping Artie on the back.

"The classics never die Mr. Shue," Artie laughed.

"Never!" Mr. Shue agreed. "Alright, it looks like the bar keeps being set higher and higher. Who wants to go next?"

"Mr. Shue, Quinn and I have a song we would like to sing together," Sam announced.

"Show us what you got then."

Sam and Quinn walked up to the front of the room. Sam grabbed the acoustic guitar and began playing.

_Quinn:_

_Dancin' where the stars go blue  
Dancin' where the evening fell  
Dancin' in my wooden shoes  
In a wedding gown_

_Sam:_

_Dancin' out on 7th street  
Dancin' through the underground  
Dancin' little marionette  
Are you happy now?_

_Both:_

_Where do you go when you're lonely  
Where do you go when you're blue  
Where do you go when you're lonely  
I'll follow you  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue_

Kurt watched the pair as they sang and couldn't help, but notice the look in Sam's eyes. Sam would be terrible at poker since he just couldn't keep his emotions hidden. The way he looked at Quinn made it obvious he was falling for her, even to Finn.

"_Why __is it that__ all the good men are straight?" _Kurt wondered in his head as he watched the pair.

_Sam: __Laughing with your pretty mouth_

_Quinn: Laughing with your broken eyes_

_Sam: Laughing with your lover's tongue_

_Both: In a lullaby_

_Both:_

_Where do you go when you're lonely  
Where do you go when you're blue  
Where do you go when you're lonely  
I'll follow you  
When the stars go blue  
The stars go blue, stars go blue_

Follow you  
Follow you

When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue

Where do you go when you're lonely?  
Where do you go when the stars go blue?

The last few notes drifted off as Quinn and Sam looked into each others eyes. The club clapped, except for Santana who just scoffed at the pair.

"Good job you guys," Mr. Shue said standing back up. "So Finn, how about you go next?"

"Ok Mr. Shue," Finn said simply, letting go of Rachel's hand he took the floor.

_Baby's black balloon makes her fly  
I almost fell into that hole in your life  
And you're not thinking 'bout tomorrow  
Cuz you were the same as me  
But on your knees_

A thousand other boys could never reach you  
How could I have been the one?  
I saw the world spin beneath you  
And scatter like ice from the spoon that was your womb

Comin' down the world turned over  
And angels fall without you there  
And I go on as you get colder  
Or are you someone's prayer?

Rachel was beaming at Finn from her seat. Santana, however, just watched and smirked.

_You know the lies they always told you  
And the love you never knew  
What's the things they never showed you  
That swallow the light from the sun inside your room, yeah_

Comin' down the world turned over  
And angels fall without you there  
And I go on as you get colder  
Always someone there

Finn was looking at Rachel, but he wasn't smiling like she was. In fact, he looked rather depressed. Kurt observed all of this, but decided not to say anything, or get involved in any way. Whatever was going on there wasn't his business, and he had already cut his ties with Finn.

_And there's no time left for losin'  
When you stand they fall, yeah_

Comin' down the world turned over  
And angels fall without you there  
And I go on as you get colder  
All because I'm  
Comin' down the years turn over  
And angels fall without you there  
And I'll go on and I'll lead you home and  
All because I'm  
All because I'm  
And I'll become  
What you became to me

The song ended and Finn just sat back down next to Rachel who took his hand back immediately.

"Good job Finn," Mr. Shue remarked, "Tina how about you?"

Tina just nodded and took the floor.

_The lonesome texas sun was setting low  
and in the rearview mirror I watched it go  
I can still see the wind in her golden hair  
I close my eyes for a moment  
Im still there_

The bluest eyes in Texas  
are haunting me tonight  
Like the stars that fill the midnight sky  
her memory fills my mind  
Where did I go wrong?  
Did I wait too long?  
Or can I make it right?  
The bluest eyes of Texas are haunting me tonight

Tina's sweet voice matched the song perfectly. It was actually refreshing to hear Tina sing again since she now usually danced more than she sang.

_Another town, another hotel room  
Another dream that ended way too soon  
Left me lonely waiting for the dawn  
Searching for the strength to carry on_

The bluest in Texas are haunting me tonight  
like the stars that fill the midnight sky  
her memory fills my mind  
Where did I go wrong?  
Did I wait too long?  
Or can I make it right?  
The bluest eyes of Texas are haunting me tonight

Tina looked over at Artie with guilt written over her face. There were still some bad feelings between them since they hadn't really spoken to one another since the break up. She had hoped to talk to him to clear the air, but she just didn't know how.

_For every heart you break you pay the price  
But I can't forget the tears in her blue eyes_

The bluest eyes in Texas are haunting me tonight  
Like the stars that fill the midnight sky  
her memory fills my mind  
Where did I go wrong?  
Did I wait too long?  
Or can I make it right?  
The bluest eyes in Texas are haunting me tonight

Tina simply bowed and took her seat next to Mike as she received her applause.

"Alright now, who would like to go next?"

"I'll go next Mr. Shue," Noah said as he stood up and grabbed the electric guitar. "We need some seriously hard music to lift the funk in this room. Even though this breaks my streak of doing songs _only _by Jewish singers, I can't think of nothing harder than this," Puck informed proudly.

The entire club jumped as Puck began to play. The sound of the electric guitar booming out with the force of a cannon.

_Back in black,  
I hit the sack,  
I've been too long I'm glad to be back,  
Yes I'm let loose,  
From the noose,  
That's kept me hanging about.  
_

_I've been looking at the sky,  
'Cause it's gettin' me high,  
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die.  
_

_I got nine lives,  
Cat's eyes,  
Abusin' every one of them and running wild._

The guys all cheered and Kurt laughed at Noah's song of choice. Since he had just gotten out of juvie it was definitely appropriate all things considered.

_'Cause I'm back,_

_Yes, I'm back,_

_Well, I'm back,_

_Yes, I'm back,_

_Well, I'm back, back,_

_Well, I'm back in black,  
Yes, I'm back in black._

_Back in the back,  
Of a Cadillac,  
Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack.  
_

_Yes, I'm in a bang,  
With a gang,  
They've got to catch me if they want me to hang.  
_

_Cause I'm back on the track,  
And I'm beatin' the flack,  
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap.  
_

_So look at me now,  
I'm just makin' my play,  
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way._

Everyone started to cheer and dance as Noah played. Noah had been right; the song was lifting the mood in the choir room. Kurt just saw this as further proof that Noah did have what it takes to sing male lead. Although, knowing Noah as he did, he was probably doing this to reaffirm his badassness.

_'Cause I'm back, yes I'm back,  
Well, I'm back, yes I'm back,  
Well, I'm back, back,  
Well I'm back in black,  
Yes I'm back in black.  
_

_Well I'm back, yes I'm back,  
Well I'm back, yes I'm back,  
Well I'm back, back,  
Well, I'm back in black,  
Yes, I'm back in black,  
_

_Ohooohooo YEAH!  
OH YEAH!  
Yes I know!_

_Aieeee Yeah!  
Yeah!  
Ohhhh YEAH, YEAH!  
Give it up!  
_

_Well I'm back, back,  
Well I'm back, back,  
Back, back,  
Back in black,  
Yes I'm back in black!  
_

_Out of the sight!  
_

The music ended and Puck put the guitar back and sat back down, receiving high fives from Sam and Artie.

"That was very good Puck, although bit too loud," Mr. Shue said. "Mike how about you go next?"

"Actually Mr. Shue, can we finish this in the auditorium?" Mike asked.

"What for?"

"Well, I was talking to Matt about my idea for a song, and when he told me his, we thought it would be cool if we put them together. So, we put a bit of a show together with some help from Quinn and Brittany," Mike explained.

"Yeah, plus Sam helped too," Matt laughed for some reason.

"Alright, let's see what you guys put together then."

"Great, everyone be in the auditorium in ten minutes," Mike said.

Mike, Matt, Sam, Brittany, and Quinn left leaving everyone else behind. The club was wondering what they had put together. Ten minutes later the club was seated and waiting for the show to begin. Sam came back from behind the stage and sat down next to Kurt.

"OK Mr. Shue, everyone is ready," Sam informed looking amused.

From behind the curtain Mike emerged. Immediately everyone broke out in laugher. Kurt instantly knew what Sam had helped with since he obviously wasn't part of the number since he was still sitting next to Kurt. Mike was now dressed in a strange outfit that was a bit too big for him. He resembled something out of a science fiction movie and was holding a ray gun of some kind. His face and skin was now painted sky blue, but what was funny were the blue antennas coming out of his forehead. Kurt recognized it as an alien from the Star Trek series. He couldn't remember which one since he wasn't a Trekker himself. But, he remembered Sam mentioning it a few times when they hung out. Mike just stood on stage stock still and suddenly music began to play.

_Yo listen up here's a story  
about a little guy that lives in a blue world  
and all day and all night and everything he sees  
is just blue like him inside and outside  
blue his house with a blue little window  
and a blue corvette  
and everything is blue for him and his self  
and everybody around  
cos he ain't got nobody to listen to_

_I'm blue da ba dee da ba die..._

Mike was dancing to the techno beat proving once again why he was the best dancer in glee. Completely in sync with the beat Mike danced all over the stage.

_I have a blue house with a blue window  
Blue is the color of all that I wear  
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too  
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue  
Blue are the people here that walk around  
Blue like my Corvette it's standing outside  
Blue are the words I say and what I think  
Blue are the feelings that live inside me_

_I'm blue da ba dee da ba die..._

The dance moves Mike was doing was like something you would see a schizophrenic Mime do, if he was switching personalities from: a robot, to a hip hop dancer, a ballerina, and finally a Mime once more. But regardless it was flawless and mixed perfectly with the music. The rest of the glee club was watching in amazement and humor at the comical sight.

_I have a blue house with a blue window  
Blue is the color of all that I wear  
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too  
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue  
Blue are the__people__ here that walk around  
Blue like my Corvette it's standing outside  
Blue are the words I say and what I think  
Blue are the feelings that live inside me_

Suddenly, the music stopped and was replaced by a police siren. The curtains opened up to reveal Matt, with Brittany and Quinn flanking him. Matt was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie, and sunglasses. Quinn and Brittany were dressed to match him, both wearing suits and their hair tied up in a bun. All three of them carrying Nerf dart pistols. Mike jumped back as if scared and another song started to play.

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_Here come the Men in Black_

_Matt:_

_It's the M.i.B.'s, uh, here come's the M.i.B.'s_

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_Here come the Men in Black _

_Men in Black_

_They won't let you remember_

_Matt:_

_Nah, nah. nah_

_The good guys dress in black, remember that_

_Just in case we ever face to face and make contact_

_The title held by me, M.i.B._

_Means what you think you saw, you did not see_

_So don't blink be what was there is now gone_

_The black suits with the black ray bans on_

_Walk in shadow, move in silence_

_Guard against extra-terrestrial violence_

_But yo we ain't on no government list_

_We straight don't exist-no names and no fingerprints_

_Saw somethin' strange, watch your back_

_Cause you never quite know where the M.i.B.'s is at_

_Uh, eh_

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_Here come the men in black, men in black_

_Galaxy defenders_

_Oho oho oho_

_Here come the men in black, men in black_

_They won't let you remember_

The hilarity that ensued was insane. Matt and the girls began trying to shot Mike as he danced away. Matt was leading the charge, all of it just one big crazy choreographed dance of lunacy that had the club laughing.

_Matt:_

_Aha, aha_

_Now, from the deepest of the darkest of night_

_On the horizon, bright light enters sight tight_

_Cameras zoom, on the impending doom_

_But then like boom black suits fill the room up_

_With the quickness, talk with the witnesses_

_Hypnotizer, neuralizer_

_Vivid memories turn to fantasies_

_Ain't no M.i.B.'s, can I please_

_Do what we say, that's they way we kick it_

_D'ya know what I mean_

_I see my noisy cricket get wicked on ya_

_We're your first, last and only line of defense_

_Against the worst scum of the universe_

_So don't fear us, cheer us_

_If you ever get near us, don't jeer us, we're fearless_

_Mib's freezin' up all the flack_

_What's that stand for? Men in Black_

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_The men in black_

_The men in black_

At this point all four of them got together center stage and faced the audience and began to dance in sync.

_Matt:_

_Let me see ya just bounce it with me_

_Just bounce with me_

_Just bounce with me_

_Come on, let me see ya just slide with me_

_Just slide with me _

_Just slide with me _

_Come on, let me see ya take a walk with me_

_Just walk with me _

_Talk a walk with me_

_Come on, and make your neck work_

_Now freeze_

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_Ohhhhhhhhoh_

_Here come the Men in Black, Men in Black_

_Galaxy defenders. ohh, ooohh_

_Here come the men in black, Men in Black_

_They won't let you remember. oh nohh_

_Matt:_

_Alright check it_

_Let me tell you this in closing_

_I know we might seem imposing_

_But trust me, if we ever show in your section_

_Believe me, it's for your own protection_

_Cause we see things that you need not see_

_And we be places that you need not be_

_So go on with your life_

_Forget that Roswell crap_

_Show love to the black suit, cause_

_That's the men in..._

_That's the men in..._

_Quinn and Brittany:_

_Here come the Men in Black, here they come_

_Galaxy defenders, galaxy defenders_

_Here come the Men in Black, oho, here they come_

_They won't let you remember. Won't let you remember_

_Here come the Men in Black, ohh, here they come_

_Galaxy defenders oho oho oho_

_Here come the Men in Black_

_They won't let you remember_

As the song ended Matt and the girls stopped dancing. Mike continued even though there was no music. The three turned and emptied there guns on Mike all at once. Mike gave a spectacular death dance and collapsed on the stage. The club went completely wild and started screaming out their cheers.

"Oh my god," Mr. Shue yelled. "Now that was just… wow."

"Thanks Mr. Shue," Matt said. "But, we couldn't have done it without Sam, Brittany, and Quinn."

"Yeah, we wouldn't have been able to put this together without them," Mike agreed.

"Wait a sec what did Sam do?" Rachel asked. "He wasn't even in the number."

"Well, when we asked Quinn for help, Sam was with her. I said I was going to be an alien, and Sam asked what I was going to wear. I told him I didn't know, and he said he had an idea. He gave me the costume and he did my make up," Mike informed.

"Yeah, I used that costume last Halloween. I went as Commander Thy'lek Shran from Star trek: Enterprise. When Mike said he was going to be an alien for his song I thought this would be perfect. So, I skipped lunch, went home, and got it along with the makeup I had left over," Sam explained with a huge smile on his face.

"Well you all did a great job," Mr. Shue praised. "OK, now that just leaves Kurt. Do you have a song Kurt?"

"I do Mr. Shue. Although, I didn't plan anything big like Mike and Matt did," Kurt smiled at the pair.

"I doubt any one would have," Mr. Shue laughed.

"I just need a moment to change my clothes Mr. Shue."

"OK Kurt, no problem, just try to make it quick," Mr. Shue said.

Kurt gave his music sheet to the Brad to study while he got ready. Kurt went back stage to change and for a moment wondered once again if he should sing the song he had chosen. But now, it was too late and he just had to do it. A few minutes he came back to the stage in his dark blue Alexander McQueen suit. He put on a matching fedora hat and pulled it down low, casting a shadow over his eyes as the spotlight came on and the rest of the lights dimmed. All in all, he looked like a more modern version of a detective out of those old black and white movies. He nodded to Brad at the piano to begin.

_Am I blue?_

_Am I blue?_

_Ain't these tears, in my eyes telling you?_

_It was a morning, long before dawn  
without a warning I found he was gone  
How could he do it  
Why should he do it  
He never done it before_

Kurt really liked this song, but just hoped no one read too deeply into it. He kept his eyes cast down as the sad music played and let the words flow through him.

_Am I blue?_

_Am I blue?_

_Ain't these tears, in my eyes telling you?_

_How can you ask me "am I blue?"  
Why, wouldn't you be too  
if each plan  
with your man  
done fell through_

The song reminded him of his time with Finn last year. Even though, they were never actually together, in the sense of a romantic relationship. It brought up the memories, of his past actions, and how all of his plans had blown up in his face. As well, as how hurt he felt when Finn started yelling at him in his basement. He actually cried himself to sleep that night remembering the look in Finn's eyes. Kurt didn't even notice the single tear escape his eye as he sang. He just let the piano's soft music hold him up.

_There was a time  
when I was his only one  
but now I'm  
the sad and lonely one...lonely_

_I'm a fool,_

_I was his only one_

_Was I gay?  
Until today  
now he's gone, and we're through  
am I blue?_

The last note from the piano drifted away and Kurt finally looked up at the club. Most of the girls with boyfriends were leaning against their boyfriends' shoulders. Santana looked to be locked in some kind of sad introspection. After a moment, Mercedes just got up and hugged Kurt for dear life, as he walked off the stage in much the same way she had done for Artie. All of the guys looked sad if a bit uncomfortable, even Mr. Shue. Before Kurt knew it, another set of arms wrapped themselves around Kurt. He looked up and saw Noah holding him, which actually made him smile.

"Wow, I didn't think I was that bad," Kurt said with a small smile.

Before Kurt knew it, everyone began to applaud. Finn wore a look of confusion mixed with sadness. He stood to the side watching the scene with his hands in his pockets. Kurt didn't know what to say so he just avoided looking at Finn all together.

"Kurt that was wonderful," Mr. Shue smiled.

"Uh, thanks Mr. Shue," Kurt replied a bit awkwardly.

"I've never heard you sing like that before Kurt. How did you manage to get your voice to sound like that?" Mr. Shue asked.

"I work a lot on my vocals Mr. Shue," Kurt answered simply with a shrug, still not understanding the reaction.

While Kurt was singing he had been in his own mind, not even noticing any of his friends' reactions. Or rather he was avoiding them altogether.

"Alright you guys, that was all fantastic. But, for now until next Friday you guys are on your own. You guys have the schedule for the auditorium so work hard and make me proud. If any problems come up let me know. Remember you guys have creative freedom, so this is a chance to prove how creative you can be."

"We won't let you down Mr. Shue," Rachel declared with a big grin.

The rest all agreed and with that glee dispersed. Everyone went their separate ways. Noah went to talk with Tina about their number and told Kurt he would meet him back in the choir room. Kurt nodded and went to look for Sam. He needed to talk to his friend and hoped he could catch up with him before he left. Kurt saw Sam heading back stage along with Mike and Matt so he headed that way. The door was closed to the changing room so Kurt knocked, not wanting to barge in.

"Who is it?" he heard Sam ask from behind the door.

"It's Kurt."

"Come on in," Sam said.

Kurt walked into the changing area and closed the door behind them. Matt was changing into his normal clothes and Sam was helping Mike take off the antennas off. The sight was rather funny and Kurt chuckled a bit at the sight.

"Sorry to barge in on you guys," Kurt said.

"It's cool," Sam said. "So what's up?"

"Well firstly, I wanted to talk to you about our morning workouts," Kurt began. "I mentioned them to Matt while we were talking before and I thought he could join us."

"Sure, that would be great," Sam agreed.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked. "I don't want to be in the way."

"Yeah, the more the merrier, besides we barely won last nights game. We've got to step it up if we want to keep winning. Not to mention, it will toughen you up more for Coach Beiste's training."

"What are you guys talking about?" Mike asked as he tried to wipe the make up off his face.

"Well, Artie wanted to get in better shape for football, so the three of us, Kurt, Puck, and me, decided to help him out. Every morning during the week we meet up early and use the school to work out. Since we're part of the football team we got free access to the weight room. But, since Kurt is on the Cheerios he can get us access to the gymnastics room. Everyday we switch between weight lifting and calisthenics."

"That sounds cool," Mike replied.

"If you want you could join us too. Like I said, the more the merrier, and the better shape we're in, the better off the team will be," Sam offered quickly.

"Yeah, I'd love to," Mike agreed.

"Awesome, we meet everyday at 6:00 A.M. in front of the school. Can you guys be there that early?" Sam asked.

Mike and Matt agreed to the time and both Kurt and Sam answered some questions about the work out. Mike seemed excited about the gymnastics room and Kurt told him he could show Mike some of the basics. Matt left afterwards, and Mike went to the bathroom to try and wash off the paint from his face. Kurt didn't have any moist towelets, so he told Mike he had to wash it off. Kurt gave him some of his facial scrub wash instead, and Mike seemed grateful. When they were finally alone Kurt asked Sam what he had planned for the weekend.

-Scene change-

Finn was walking towards his locker, with Rachel holding his hands. Rachel was going on about how unfair the schedule was and how Mr. Shue was being completely uptight and unreasonable.

"I can't believe this. I just hope Artie will be able to keep up. We're already at enough of a disadvantage with such little rehearsal time and-"

"Rachel, just stop it!" Finn snapped, as he finally opened his locker.

"Finn what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"Rachel… you…" Finn struggled not able to articulate what he was feeling.

"Finn…?"

"Rachel, what is wrong with you?"

"Me? Nothing's wrong with me," Rachel said distressed.

"Rachel, this whole thing with the duets, and what you said about Quinn, Brittany and Artie… I don't like it."

"Finn I'm just trying to do what's best for the glee club. As the best singer and the president of the team, I have an obligation to do that. The school isn't going to be impressed by some meager duet with all of us mixed up at random. You and I should have been teamed up instead. Together we could have delivered an amazing performance. But, now it feels like Mr. Shue and everyone else just wants to settle for mediocrity."

"Rachel do you know how much begging I had to do to stop everyone from kicking you out of the club after what you did to Sunshine? It took all of my begging, and Mr. Shue, to convince them all not to throw you out. And now all your doing is tearing Artie down and making everyone mad at you," Finn protested.

Finn just grabbed his new letterman's jacket and slammed his locker closed.

"Finn, I don't understand. Why are you so upset?"

"What you said about Artie was really bad Rachel. Everyone tells me I'm an idiot for being with you. But, despite what they said I'm still with you. In spite of everything Rachel…sometimes… Rachel sometimes you just make it impossible to love you," Finn finally said.

Rachel looked as if Finn had just ripped her heart out.

"Rachel, I don't know what's making you so mean, but I don't like it," Finn turned and began to walk away.

He turned the corner with Rachel watching as he disappeared out of sight.

"You know he bought me dinner afterwards," Santana whispered in Rachel's ear.

She had been watching the entire exchange and couldn't resist getting a good jab in. Giving the hobbit a triumphant smile she took off where Finn had disappeared.

-Scene Change-

Noah was getting dressed for dinner while Kurt took his turn in the shower. A smile crossed his lips as he heard Kurt singing. It was in some other language so he didn't understand a single word of it. He still sounded amazing though and Noah had to admit he really enjoyed hearing the soprano sing. But, this afternoon at glee Kurt sounded kinda off.

When he sang that song on stage, it was like the time Kurt spilled that glass of water down his pants. It was total shock to his system. It was almost like when Artie sang his song. But, instead of being sad and angry, Kurt was just sad. Kurt didn't even look at them while he sang and Noah had a feeling he was avoiding looking at Finn. When he had looked over at the jock, Finn looked like he wanted to bolt right out of the auditorium. Kurt had told him about the truce they had come to, but it was obvious Finn wasn't happy with it.

But what bothered Noah the most was the sad look on Kurt's face as he sang. For some reason it sent an ache into his chest as he saw it. As soon as Kurt finished, he was right behind Mercedes not even noticing what he was doing. Even now he couldn't understand the strange effect Kurt was beginning to have on him. If any other guy even talked to him the way Kurt did he would have beat the crap out of him. But, with Kurt it was different. He actually liked it and for some reason it made him feel really good.

When they had gone out on Wednesday night it was the best time he had out in a long time. He was supposed to have a date with another random chick, but he had had more fun with Kurt than he had with anyone else so far. At the pool hall they had a great time even though Kurt was terrible at the game. But, when that guy tried to feel Kurt up, every single part of him wanted to take the pool cue he was holding, and break it against that assholes face. And he couldn't believe, Kurt didn't see that, that prick was trying to hit on him.

For a guy who was so familiar with the idea of sex, Kurt still had a lot to learn it seemed about the mating game. He had expected Kurt to pick up on the guys' obvious advances, but Kurt remained completely unaware of it. Regardless though, he had a great night. Maybe he could take Kurt out again sometime. After all, there were a lot of places they could go with the right attitude and a fake ID.

Putting it aside for now, Noah finished getting dressed, as he heard a knock on the closet door.

"Come in," Noah said as he pulled on a shirt.

Kurt opened the door, wearing nothing, but a towel. His body still a bit wet from the shower he had just come out of. Already finished getting dressed Noah gave Kurt his privacy. When Kurt was done and they were both ready they took off for BreadStiX.

"So explain to me again this Friday dinner thing," Noah asked as he drove.

"When my mom was still alive, she started this tradition. Every Friday night we all get together as a family. Even after she died, my dad, and I kept doing it."

"Well that sounds cool," Noah said. "Usually, the closest thing we ever have to a family dinner at my house is me, and Sarah ordering take out and watching movies with my mom, whenever she gets a day off."

"You don't know how to cook?" Kurt asked.

"I know how to use a microwave. That's about it," Noah shrugged.

"You are such a boy," Kurt declared making Noah chuckle.

"Well not everyone can be a master chef like you."

"I am not a master chef," Kurt declared although a bit grateful for the compliment. "I just love to cook. I've been doing it since I was little and after my mom died I kept doing it. After a while, I started looking up new things, to keep dinner interesting. Then I looked for things to keep me and my dad healthy. Because I've been doing it for so long I can almost make anything as long as I have the recipe. Not to mention, I can make my own dishes on the fly since I know ingredients so well."

"That sounds like a master chef to me," Noah reiterated.

"If you're interested I can teach you. That way when you move back home you can cook for your sister and your mom. Not to mention yourself for when you are older."

"I don't think so," Noah objected firmly. "I once tried to boil an egg and almost ended up starting a fire."

"You are just like dad. On the first Friday night dinner after my mom died he tried to make a chicken. It was raw when we cut into it and I had to salvage the whole meal. He didn't want me to cook since I was still a little kid, but after a bad case of food poisoning, I finally took complete control of the kitchen."

"Well I'm glad you did. Your cooking is great, and it's cool of you to make sure I have plenty of kosher options."

"Thanks," Kurt blushed.

The ride passed with more small talk until they arrived. His dad had gone to pick up Carole and Finn and was there a few minutes before the duo. After the waitress had showed them to their table, Noah and Kurt sat down. Finn barely acknowledged the pair looking rather lost in his own thoughts.

"Sorry we're late, but Kurt takes forever to get ready," Noah joked.

"I, unlike you, would rather look presentable when I leave the house," Kurt replied in his diva tone and crossing his legs.

Noah just smiled and Kurt gave a Noah playful wink making Carole laugh. Burt still looked a bit bothered by their 'play flirting' as Kurt had put it, but smiled awkwardly. Finn still hadn't said anything and just sat in silence.

"So anyway, congratulations on your clean bill of health Mr. Hummel," Noah said in an attempt to be gracious.

"Just call me Burt. Since you're part of the family now we can drop the Mister. Besides, I don't need to feel any older," Burt replied.

"So Carole, I see you took my advice about that shade of lipstick," Kurt observed. "I told you it would look stunning on you."

Carole blushed and his father laughed.

"So, Noah, that last game of yours was intense. How far do you think the team will keep up its winning streak?" Burt asked.

"As long as, Coach Beiste has anything to say about it, she's been pushing the team on overdrive to keep it up. Especially, now that we only just barely managed to win the last game," Noah said.

"Yeah, I've been running extra laps to try and keep up with her training," Finn finally spoke.

"But, I still don't know what the coach is going to do about Langanthal. He can't score a single point. He almost cost us the game," Noah replied.

"Well, Coach Beiste at least knows what she is doing, unlike Tanaka," Kurt piped in. "I'm sure she will figure it out."

"It would be a lot easier if you would just take my advice and join the team again. You were best kicker the team's had in years."

"No way Noah, I'm fine just being a Cheerio."

"You should at least consider it. You were a natural on the field. I'm sure Coach Beiste will let you keep your music," Noah smiled a bit teasingly.

"No thanks, besides those helmets mess up my hair," Kurt insisted.

"Well I was very proud of you when you made that winning score," Burt joined in.

"Thanks dad," Kurt said although a bit uncomfortably.

"But, speaking of football, I managed to get a spare ticket to the Cincinnati game this Sunday. I thought you might want to come with me and Finn," Burt said to Noah.

"Umm, sure that would be awesome," Noah said a bit surprised.

Kurt was glad his father was making more of an effort with Noah. Although, he was surprised his father was able to get a spare ticket on such short notice. The rest of the dinner went on, with no incident. Noah was growing a bit more uncomfortable since Finn kept zoning in and out and Kurt barely said anything. The guy only talked when talked too directly or was just talking to Carole about chick stuff. This just left him and Burt talking about stuff. It was cool that Burt was obviously trying to be nice to him, which is more than most old people did. But, he felt uncomfortable with all the attention, all the same. Thankfully, the waitress came and asked if they wanted dessert. They all ordered something and Noah couldn't help, but smile at Kurt when he ordered apple pie.

"Burt," Carole spoke, giving him a smile.

Burt looked at Carole and smiled back before turning back to the three teenagers in front of him.

"Guys, Carole and I have been talking and we have an announcement to make," Burt declared.

Noah noticed Kurt sit up a bit straighter in his seat.

"We decided that we wanted to try to live together again."

"What?" Finn sat up, looking at his mom.

"Don't worry, I've been talking to some contractors and we're going to add another addition to the house. Until it's finished you can share the basement with Noah and Kurt."

"No, I am not cool with that!"

"Oh, honey its only for a few weeks," Carole placated.

"Thanksgiving, tops," Burt promised.

"Besides dude, Kurt's room is awesome. Although, Kurt can be a little touchy sometimes," Noah joked.

"I wouldn't be so touchy if you would stop leaving your dirty underwear all over my vanity table," Kurt retorted.

"Nah, I think I like it when you get touchy," Noah joked.

"Why Noah, if you wanted my attention Noah, you just had to ask," Kurt replied giving him a very naughty wink.

Finn was looking between the two as if expecting one of them to combust.

"Careful Kurt, I might just make you deliver on that."

"I'll hold my breath. In the mean time keep your dirty underwear _off_ my vanity table."

The duo laughed, blocking out everyone else at the table.

"See, everything will be fine," Burt told Finn who looked like anything but.

They planned to move back in next Saturday, which meant next weekend they would be spending the day lifting things back and forth. Noah looked at Kurt and while he was smiling and nodding at the details something was just off about him. His eyes just seemed to be getting duller as Burt and Carole went on and on about the move. Noah looked over at his former friend and saw he looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Thankfully, after they all finished desert Burt paid the bill and said he was going to take Finn and Carole back home.

On the drive back home Kurt didn't say much. He seemed lost in thought and Noah had no idea what to do. Despite how well he was getting to know the soprano, the guy was still a bit of a mystery to him. When they got back home Kurt just seemed to be on auto pilot. He just began to undress until Noah wrapped his arms around him from behind. Noah looked down at Kurt, as he finally looked up at Noah.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just… I guess it all feels kind of surreal. Finn living here again... We called a truce, but I doubt he's any happier than he was the first time. Not to mention, I already have to deal with him at school, and the garage. I'm not relishing the idea of having him here again."

"_But this is what you wanted__,__" _Kurt reminded himself_. "The plan is working even better than you predicted. And once you get out of here it's not going to matter."_

"Kurt, I'm here now and if he starts something he'll have me to deal with."

Kurt actually smiled at that and Noah felt relieved to see a genuine smile cross his friends face.

"Come on, it's still too early for us to go to sleep. Let's watch a movie and relax. You make some popcorn and I'll look for something good in your collection."

"All my movies are good," Kurt replied in fake hurt tone.

"Says you," Noah said. "I don't care what you say, I will never like musicals."

"You liked Repo."

"True, but that was mostly rock music, not to mention it was more like a horror flick."

"Yeah, but that's the point Noah. Musicals can be anything just like any other movie. From comedy to horror, and the music just brings it all to life in a much grander scale. Besides Repo, how many musicals have you ever seen?"

"I don't know," Noah shrugged.

"Tell you what then," Kurt began. "Since you know how to use the microwave, you make the popcorn and I will choose a musical for us to watch."

"Aw, come on. I was hoping for an action movie."

"Well, like you said, it's still early. I'll choose an action movie you'll like too."

Noah agreed and went upstairs to make some popcorn while Kurt picked out the movies. He came back down with a large bowl of popcorn and saw Kurt putting a DVD into the PS3. While it loaded Noah put the bowl on the coffee table and began to take off all of his clothes as per usual. Kurt undressed, but instead of staying in just his underwear he put on his sleeping attire. He grabbed drinks from the mini fridge for himself and Noah and sat down.

"What is this movie?"

"This is a remake of the classic musical 'The Producers' starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and Uma Thurman. It's a comedy-musical so I'm sure you'll like it."

"I'm not holding my breath," Noah scoffed.

"Just watch and give it a chance, it's very funny," Kurt said as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and pressed play on the remote.

The movie began and the two watched. Noah suppressed a laugh as he saw Max doing the old lady for money. As the film continued Noah had to admit Kurt was right. The movie was funny and he actually had to give it up to the Max guy for coming up with such a huge scheme to get rich. After the song 'When You Got It, Flaunt It' Kurt was caught off guard, however, when he reached for the popcorn and his hand touched Noah's in the bowl. He mumbled an apology and looked away.

Noah, however, just rolled his eyes and grabbed Kurt, making him yelp in surprise. The halfback pulled Kurt towards him sitting him down between his legs with Kurt's back on his chest. Surprised, by the move Kurt didn't say anything as Noah placed the bowl of popcorn in his lap. Kurt was rather speechless at the move. After all Noah never struck him as the affectionate type of guy. But, the kiss Noah had given him on his cheek the night before came to mind.

Instead of over analyzing it Kurt decided to go back to enjoying the movie. Noah finally broke out laughing as the cast started the 'Springtime For Hitler' song. As he reached for his drink, he noticed how sweet Kurt's hair smelled. It was like pomegranates and honeysuckle with something else that was probably all Kurt. He inhaled the smell softly letting it warm him up from the inside, careful not to disturb Kurt as he did so. Kurt at first was rather rigid, but calmed down after a few moments. Now the soprano was leaning casually against his chest while they both lay on the sofa.

"So what did you think?" Kurt asked softly as the movie ended.

"You were right, it was funny," Noah admitted.

"I'm glad you liked it," Kurt said as he stood up.

Noah moaned at the loss of Kurt's body heat and shivered a bit as Kurt went to put in the next movie. He got up to get another drink, but also a blanket. He lay back down on the couch and saw Kurt look at him questioningly. The half back just took Kurt's hand and sat him back down again like before. He wrapped them both up on the blanket and they got comfortable as the movie started. Kurt had chosen the movie 'Fight Club' as their action movie for the evening and Noah asked why Kurt had chosen it.

"Because it's a good story," Kurt answered. "Not to mention, Brad Pitt looks gorgeous, and he's shirtless a good portion of the movie."

"Oh please, my body is way better than Brad Pitt's. My guns are way bigger," Noah scoffed and flexed his arms.

"Just watch the movie," Kurt laughed at Noah's egotism.

The two friends watched the movie just silently enjoying each other company. Half way through, Noah noticed Kurt had fallen asleep. Kurt was resting his head against Noah's chest and was dozing peacefully. Noah just wrapped his arms around the smaller man and smiled. He watched the movie until it ended and Kurt was still asleep. He didn't want to wake up his friend, but he had been lying down in the same position since the start of the movie and his back was hurting him. He jostled Kurt awake softly, not wanting to startle Kurt too much. Kurt opened his and looked up only to see Noah with a rather satisfied look on his face.

"Come on man, we should get some sleep," Noah said as Kurt rubbed his eyes.

Before Kurt knew it, Noah picked him up in his arms, bridal style off the sofa. Not wanting to fall he quickly wrapped his arms around his friends' neck in reflex.

"Don't worry, I got you," Noah soothed as he walked over to Kurt's bed.

He put Kurt down on the bed and saw Kurt blush again. Kurt thanked Noah and tucked himself in.

"Goodnight Noah."

"Goodnight Kurt," Noah said.

-Scene Change-

Noah was roused from his sleep as he felt someone licking his neck.

"Santana…" he groaned still asleep as he tried to turn over. "Take a cab home."

The licking didn't stop and Noah opened his eyes, ready to tell Santana to fuck off. What he saw beside him, however, was not Santana. He recoiled away and fell off the bed in a heap as a huge black dog loomed over him. He was brought out of shock as he heard laughter from the foot of Kurt's stairs.

"We got you Noah!"

"Sarah?"

"Surprise," Kurt grinned as Sam simply laughed beside him.

Sarah ran to her big brother and wrapped her arms around him. Noah took a moment get his bearings before he stood up with his little sister in his arms.

"What is going on?"

"I'll explain upstairs. You go and take a shower and get ready for the day. We'll be upstairs waiting for you," Kurt said.

"Fenrir, here boy," Sam commanded.

The dog obeyed and jumped off Noah's bed to rejoin his owner. Sarah began kicking her legs, wanting to be put down. As soon as Noah put her down she ran over to Fenrir who practically knocked her over. Sarah didn't even notice as Fenrir began to tickle her, sniffing at her neck, licking her; making the little girl laugh.

"That's enough Fenrir, we're going to play soon," Sam told him. "Now come on get back upstairs."

The playful dog did as he was told and Kurt helped Sarah get back on her feet.

"Come on Sarah, we've got to start making breakfast. What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?" Kurt asked as he took Sarah's hand.

"I like Eggos," she declared excitedly.

"Well, I don't have any Eggos, but I can make you something even better. How about some nice big waffles? I make them myself," Kurt suggested.

Sarah got really excited and the two went upstairs to start breakfast. Noah shook his head, still completely confused at what had just happened.

-Scene Change-

"Ok Sarah, now why don't you sit at the table while I start cooking? I'm going to make a nice big breakfast for all of us."

"Can I help?"

"Sure, that would be great," Kurt said and began to get everything he needed.

Sam kept Fenrir occupied seeing as how the dog was so excited, while Kurt had Sarah pass him things, as he made Belgium waffles.

"Kurt?"

Everyone turned to see Burt standing behind them in his bathrobe taking in the scene before him.

"Morning dad," Kurt said.

"Morning son…What's going on?"

"Dad, this is Sarah, Noah's little sister. I called Noah's mom and asked if it was OK for her to spend the day with us," Kurt explained. "Sarah, this is my dad, Mr. Hummel."

"Hello Sarah," Burt smiled warmly at the little girl who shyly waved back.

"And dad you remember my friend Sam," Kurt gestured over to the blonde. "Sam is sleeping over again."

Sam gave his dad a firm hand shake and turned to his dog.

"And this here is Fenrir," Sam explained as he looked down at the dog who was wagging his tail excitedly. "Don't worry he's house broken," Sam said quickly.

"Good to know," Burt said.

"Fenrir, do you want to say hello to Mr. Hummel?"

Fenrir held out his paw, looking at Burt expectantly. Burt shook his paw and Fenrir gave him a sniff for good measure.

"Where's Noah?" Burt asked, not seeing Noah in the kitchen.

"He'll be up soon, he's just taking a shower," Kurt declared. "Have a seat dad, Sarah and I will be done soon."

"Sure son, let me just get the morning paper."

Fenrir took off out of the kitchen, coming back a moment later with the newspaper in his jaw. He ran up to Burt wagging his tail, obviously offering him the paper.

"Good boy Fenrir," Sam praised receiving a bark in reply.

"How house broken is he?" Burt asked.

"Very. He has mastered all the obedience commands and he's been given military training from my uncle. So he's very smart. Although, sometimes I think he's a bit _too_ smart to just be a regular dog," Sam clarified.

"Well, you did say he was half wolf," Kurt joined in.

"Wolf?" Burt said with a bit of worry.

"Don't worry, like I said he is expertly trained, and won't bite anyone. My uncle made sure to train Fenrir well. All military dogs have to be if they are going to be of any help on the field."

"Who is your uncle?" Burt asked as he sat down at the table.

"My uncle is Major Dean Connor Evans. But, I doubt you know him. He's rarely in town since he's always either training troops, or given a mission to go on."

"Morning," Noah said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Look Noah, I'm making waffles," Sarah said excitedly, as she helped Kurt.

"Not bad princess, pretty soon you'll be able to make anything, if Kurt is teaching you," Noah said as he ruffled her hair.

"Well, we're almost done here," Kurt said. "Sarah why don't you help Noah set the table so we can all sit together."

Sarah agreed and the two of them set the table, while Kurt asked Sam to help him put some finishing touches on the food. Before they knew it, Kurt, had told them all to sit down and began to serve them all breakfast. He made Belgium waffles topped with fresh fruit that Sam helped him cut up and some soy milk whip cream. But, he also made eggs, oatmeal, some turkey sausage, and turkey bacon.

"Do you like the waffles Sarah?" Kurt asked.

"They're so yummy," Sarah exclaimed, making Noah laugh, and everyone else smile.

"Definitely better than Eggos," Noah winked.

"So, what were you planning to do today?" Burt asked.

"Well, since it looks like it's going to be a very nice day," Kurt began. "I was thinking that maybe the four of us would go to the park and have a picnic."

"That sounds like fun," Sarah said.

"And I brought some toys and a Frisbee so we can play with Fenrir. He always wants to play, and he loves the exercise," Sam informed.

"Sounds like you have everything planned out pretty well," Burt commented.

"How long have you been planning this?" Noah asked, looking at Kurt.

"Well, since yesterday. I called your mom and I convinced her to let Sarah visit. You can take her home after dinner tonight."

Noah didn't know what to say except a simple thank you.

"Guess what Noah?" Sarah spoke up.

"What?"

"My class is going to put on a play for Halloween," Sarah declared excitedly.

"That's great, what play are you going to do?" Noah asked.

"The teacher says we are going to do the Wizard of Oz."

"That's great; I always loved the Wizard of Oz. Do you know what part you're going to play?" Kurt asked.

"I want to be the wicked witch, she was cool!"

This made Kurt laugh and everyone else smile.

"She was cool," Kurt said matter of factly. "In fact she was very smart too. People just didn't like her and thought she was wicked because of her green skin and the wizard of oz spreading lies about her."

"Really?" Sarah asked, looking enchanted.

Kurt told her he would tell her all about the wicked witch if she wanted, after they got back from the park. After breakfast, Burt had to go to work, and he told Kurt he would be back for dinner. Kurt told the guys that he was going to take a while, to make a big lunch for all of them, to take with them. He suggested that Sarah visit with Noah and maybe watch the DVD, of the Wizard of Oz, he had in his room downstairs. Noah thought that was a good idea and took Sarah to watch the movie.

"So, when is your uncle due back?" Kurt asked once he was alone with Sam in the kitchen.

"He'll be back tomorrow late afternoon."

"That's good. Are you going to bring him to the assembly?"

"Yeah, I wanted to do something special for him, so I've got a big surprise for him planned."

"He really means a lot to you doesn't he?" Kurt observed more than declared.

"Yeah, I just hope he likes what I have planned. Mike is awesome with dance moves, so I'm really lucky to have gotten him as a partner."

"Well I'm glad you're happy with your partner, but don't get too excited. Matt and Mercedes know how to bring it and by now you know I always deliver on big performances."

"Don't get your hopes up. From what I heard Quinn and Brittany are already planning big. I guess that insult from Rachel kicked Quinn into overdrive."

"Well to be honest, I don't really care as long as we get some positive recognition for once. After all the work we did last year, the school still thinks we suck. And Mr. Shue doesn't make it any easier, a lot of the time. Last years assembly would have been worse, if we hadn't done the 'Push It' number, when we were trying to get more recruits."

"I agree; Mr. Shue needs to widen his music selection. I mean, I still don't get the whole Journey thing. If I sing one more Journey song I think I'll vomit. I mean I can't believe he shot down every single idea we threw at him, the week before. I have to admit though, I was hoping, he would say yes, when Puck suggested we do Cee Lo."

"Yeah, that would have been fun," Kurt agreed with a smile, as he remembered Noah making the suggestion.

"So how is your project going?"

"It's not," Kurt said glumly.

"What's wrong?"

"No matter how hard I try I can't come up with an original song. The deadline is in 3 weeks and if I don't come up with a song by then, I'll have to send in my portfolio and DVD without it."

"Well song writing isn't as easy as people think Kurt," Sam shrugged. "And to be honest, I still think you should reconsider leaving."

"Sam, do you know what my dad did last night at BreadStiX?" Kurt said, turning to face Sam.

"What happened?" Sam asked worriedly.

"He and Carole decided to give living together a second chance. So, next weekend, Finn and Carole are moving back in."

"Judging; by the look on your face, that didn't go down well."

"I just pretended that everything was fine. Finn, though, obviously, wasn't happy with the idea, of sharing a room with me again."

"What are you going to do?"

"Go on with the plan," Kurt responded with his own shrug. "It's working. It's working even faster than I expected. Finn is now working at the garage. My dad is teaching him cars," Kurt finished looking rather upset.

Sam draped his arm over Kurt's shoulder and sat him down at the table.

"What are you going to do about Finn?"

"Nothing, we already called a truce, and I just don't care anymore. Although to placate Finn, about moving here again, dad has apparently been talking to some contractors. He's going to put on an addition to the house, so Finn will have his own room. He promised to have it done by no later than Thanksgiving. So, until then we have to share a room again."

"That sucks Kurt. I'm sorry."

"Don't be Sam. None of this is your fault. I told you, this place… it just isn't my home anymore. And everyday it just gets harder. I've got to get out of Lima soon, or I never will. I'll be stuck here until finally something happens and I snap, and the next thing I'll know I'll be the new Mr. Ryerson dressing up in my mother's old clothes at night." 

"Kurt, that's not going to happen, you're going to get out of here. You have way too much talent to just get stuck here for the rest of your life."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sam. But, it's not going to mean much if I don't manage to pull this off." 

"Why don't you try something else then?"

"Like what?"

"Well…" Sam thought for a moment. "Remember how you said last year you did a music video?"

"Yeah, we did the Vogue music video for the assignment we had for glee."

"Why don't you try doing another music video then?"

"Sam, that would be impossible to do," Kurt huffed.

"Why not, you did it before?" Sam asked confused.

"Sam, to do that music video, Mercedes and I, had to get Artie, and the entire A/V club to help. Not to mention, we had to borrow the Cheerios. I'm trying to keep this all a secret. If I ask for all of their help they're bound to ask questions."

"Not necessarily Kurt," Sam said, still thinking things over in his head. "It all depends on what kind of music video you're going to do."

"Sam, what kind of music video could I possibly do without all those resources?"

"Well, you only needed the Cheerios last time because you needed dancers. Depending on what song you do, you probably won't even need them. As for the A/V club, I know Artie will help you no matter what. He's your friend and you won't have to tell him or anyone what you are planning to do with the video afterwards."

"OK, but that still leaves the question: what kind of music video can I make?" Kurt insisted.

"Well, you told me about the songs you have in the DVD so far, and while they're great; to be honest, I would like to see more of you in the music."

"What do you mean?" Kurt was getting rather confused.

"I mean, besides 'Defying Gravity' everything else in the DVD while amazing, doesn't have that same emotion running through it. When you did that song, you made me feel everything you were feeling. Like yesterday, in the auditorium, when you sang 'Am I Blue'. You just projected so much emotion that it made everyone look and feel it all, just like Artie did when he sang."

"Well, they say that every song should tell a story, so how about we tell your story Kurt?" Sam suggested.

"My story?" Kurt repeated incredulously. "I don't have much to tell Sam."

"I think you do," Sam insisted.

"Sam there is _nothing_ I can think of that anyone would think is interesting about my life."

"Oh come on Kurt, I can think of a lot of things."

"Such as?" Kurt pressed sarcastically.

"Like, how about the whole situation with your dad? Or how about, how you're treated in school? Or how much you still miss your mom?"

Kurt let Sam's words sink in not really liking the idea of letting such intimate details of his life be seen by anyone.

"Kurt, I think a video of your life story is exactly what you need to get that scholarship. With the right song and a lot of creativity, I'm sure we can do something amazing."

Kurt just rubbed his temples and tried to give the idea some thought.

"Look how about this; you've got the house to yourself tomorrow right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, dad is taking Finn and Noah, to a game in Cincinnati for the day, so they won't be home until late tomorrow night."

"Then let's do this, after the tutoring you and I will plan everything out. I have some song ideas, and you can come up with some of your own. After that it's just a matter of how we want to do the video."

"Fine," Kurt said finally. "But, only if we can find a song for the video will I think about taking this idea further."

Sam agreed and began to look through his IPod, while Kurt went back to finishing the food. When the food was finished they both went downstairs to finish watching the rest of the Wizard of Oz along with Noah and Sarah. Fenrir happily joined them, letting Sarah pet him softly on the head, while the movie played. Kurt watched as Sarah curled up next to Noah and he ruffled her hair making her giggle. The sight brought a smile to his face as he watched the pair.

When the movie was over Kurt asked if they were ready to go to the park. Fenrir immediately barked in response making Sarah laugh. Once they were ready, they all got into Sam's car, and headed towards the park. Sam began explaining to Sarah about how dogs need to be trained and so forth. Sarah was very excited and was talking a mile a minute asking more and more questions. By the time they reached the park, both Fenrir and Sarah were eager to begin playing.

Kurt left the food in the car, while Sam brought the Frisbee and the dog toys. They began to play, tossing the Frisbee around and playing fetch with Fenrir. After a good while, Kurt and Noah took a break, and let Sam show Sarah some tricks Fenrir could do.

"Thank you," Noah said simply, as they watched the pair.

"You're welcome Noah," Kurt said, as he turned to face his friend.

"How did you get my mom to agree to this?"

"I called her yesterday and it took some convincing, but she agreed to let Sarah visit. Although, from what the way she put it, Sarah hasn't stopped asking her about you coming home. I think that's the real reason your mom let us have her for the day."

Noah stayed silent and Kurt didn't say anymore. Other than what Noah had told him, Kurt didn't know many details about Noah's home life. He thought better of asking, not wanting to open any wounds. When Sam had shown Sarah all of Fenrir's tricks they stopped to relax and eat. Kurt got the food from the car and Noah helped him lay out a large blanket so they could all sit in the grass. Sam had brought food for Fenrir as well and the wolf-dog happily ate his fill.

While they ate Sarah began talking about the play and Kurt began to tell her all about the wicked witch. Sarah, now more than before wanted to play the witch in the play. Kurt told her that if she got to be the witch he could make her the costume for the play. All he would need to do is take her measurements, and he could get all the materials himself. The little girl was ecstatic and hugged Kurt for dear life. She asked Noah if he and Kurt could come to the play. They both said they would love to go and promised to help her practice.

When they were all done, Kurt packed everything away, while everyone else played one last game of Frisbee with Fenrir. After that, they went back to Kurt's house and relaxed. Noah and Sam decided to play some video games, while Kurt took care of Sarah. Kurt got out his tape measurer and took Sarah's measurements. He then showed her some costume make up he had, and told her how to apply it and take it off. Kurt had to admit, Sarah was a very bright little girl, as she picked things up quickly.

By the time Noah stopped playing. Kurt was styling Sarah's hair.

"Having fun?" Noah asked as he smirked at the pair.

"Look Noah, Kurt made my hair pretty!"

"I can see that princess," Noah responded, while picking his sister up into his arms.

"Well, if she is going to be a princess, then something is missing," Kurt said with a mischievous look on his face.

Kurt went into the closet and came back with a tiara, which he then placed on Sarah's head.

"There, now she's a real princess," Kurt smiled happily at the overjoyed look on Sarah's face.

"Well, since Sarah's the official princess now, does that make you the Queen?" Noah joked.

"Ha ha," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Ah, what's wrong Queenie, miss your crown already?" Noah teased making Sarah giggle.

"Don't call me that," Kurt deadpanned giving Noah a smack upside the head for good measure, making Sarah laugh even more.

"Well, what do you think Sarah? What should we call him?"

Sarah looked at Kurt for a moment.

"Kurt's very pretty," she finally said, making both her brother and Sam laugh and Kurt blush. "His face looks like the angel statue Stephanie's mom has."

"Well then Sarah, how about we call him Angel Face," Noah chuckled.

"Yeah, Angel Face!" Sarah cheered, making Kurt face palm and groan.

Sam laughed along with Noah, and the only reason Kurt didn't make a rude gesture, was because Sarah was in the room. Kurt merely said he had to get dinner started, since his dad was going to be home soon. Half way through the preparation, his dad came home with an unexpected guest.

"Uh, hey dad, dinner will be ready soon. I wasn't expecting extra company," Kurt said unsurely.

"Well since the three of us are going to the game tomorrow, I thought it would be easier if Finn stayed the night here. It will save us the trouble of picking him up in the morning."

"Well, I hope you two have an appetite then," Kurt said and turned back to making dinner.

Burt took Finn to the living room to watch TV. Kurt tuned out the sound of the TV, and just tried to concentrate on dinner. If Finn was going to live here after next week he would just have to adjust. What he had told Sam was still true. He had every intention for this to happen, so he had no choice but to keep going forward now. Suffice to say though, his success did not bring him any comfort.

When he was done he called his dad to the table, and then went down stairs to retrieve the others. Noah and Sam were singing Sarah some songs with Noah playing the guitar. He stood and watched until they finished, smiling as he looked at Noah. When they finished he told them dinner was ready. Noah gave Sarah a piggyback ride up the stairs and Fenrir ran up the stairs in front of Sam. All in all they made a strange troop as Kurt envisioned them all stomping their way into the kitchen. Finn looked surprised as he saw Fenrir emerge behind Kurt, but grew more shocked when he saw Sam, and Sarah riding on Noah's back. Kurt set the table with Sam's help and everyone dug in.

"Did you guys have fun today?" Burt asked.

"Yeah, Sam showed me lots of tricks Fenrir can do," Sarah said.

"Well, Fenrir always wants to play, and it's good for him to get exercise every day," Sam chimed in. "He's still only about three, so he always has a lot of energy to burn off."

"So, how was the garage today?" Kurt asked his dad.

"Finn managed to do his first oil change by himself," Burt said proudly.

"Not really, I still managed to make a mess though," Finn smiled at the praise.

"You'll get everything down soon. In no time, you'll be rebuilding cars all by yourself," Burt assured.

Kurt just stayed silent, but saw both Noah and Sam shoot him sympathetic looks. The rest of dinner passed quietly, with Kurt mostly staying quiet. Burt asked Sam some questions about his uncle and his family. Sam got a bit uncomfortable when asked about where his parents were. Sam said he and his father didn't get along very well and his uncle took him in. Sarah was asking Noah when he could come back home. Noah just said he didn't know making Sarah very sad.

After dinner Kurt started to wash the dishes and Noah went to get Sarah ready to leave. Finn went with his dad to the living room to watch TV with Fenrir following. Sam told Kurt he would be downstairs looking through some songs. Kurt let out a sigh as he was left alone in the kitchen. Finn being here had ruined his good mood. Although, he was berating himself for letting it get to him. He had to get used to being around Finn if they were going to live together again.

"I want you to come home Noah," Sarah said from behind Kurt suddenly, making him turn around.

"Sarah, mom is still mad at me, so I can't come home," Noah tried to explain.

"But, I miss you," Sarah began to cry.

Noah picked his little sister up, back into his arms and tried to console her.

"How about when I take you home, I'll ask mom if I can bring you over again. Since Kurt is going to make you a costume, you can spend time here with us."

It took a few minutes to calm the little girl to come down, plus, Kurt backing Noah up. Noah gave Kurt a look of thanks, and he took Sarah home. Done with the dishes, Kurt went back down stairs. Sam was listening to some music, but turned it off as soon as Kurt sat down on the couch.

"You OK?"

"I'll be fine Sam," Kurt shrugged.

"You're not fine Kurt," Sam pressed.

"I'm not going to make a fuss either. I started this, I can't complain about it now."

"Alright, I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to."

"Thanks, Sam."

"No problem Kurt. Do you want to talk about some ideas I had for the music video?"

"Shoot, I haven't had much of a chance to think about it to be honest."

"Well, I've been thinking about your DVD, and I noticed you have no rock music in it.

"Rock & Roll isn't really my forte Sam."

"Yeah, but it's still a good genre to look into, and I think I've got the perfect song for you."

"Sam, I'm not going to sing Disturbed 'Down With The Sickness'" Kurt stated since it was the song Sam wanted to do for their solo.

"No, I'm thinking more classic rock. Here," Sam handed over his mp3 and hit play.

Kurt recognized the song immediately and he had to admit it was a song he liked.

"It is a good song," Kurt admitted. "But, I don't have the voice for it."

"I know you can still sing the hell out of it, though. You have great range. I mean, you sang the Stained song and 'Am I Blue' with no problem. This should be a piece of cake."

"Sam even if I did sing it, I have no idea how we could make a video out of it without getting more people involved."

"I know, but I was thinking about that too. Remember when you said all of your moms stuff was in your attic?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I was thinking that since this music video is going to be about your life, we could start from your past, all the way up to the present. We could use all of those photo albums, and home movies, and splice them together to cover your past."

"Sam, first and foremost, I'm not really comfortable, with showing off some of the most intimate details of my life. Secondly, other than the photos, everything I have is on video tape. I don't have the equipment to transfer those movies into a new format."

"No, but Artie does. And, before you dismiss the idea," Sam charged in, before Kurt cut him off. "You know you can trust him, plus, we are going to need his help no matter what. Not to mention, we are going to need the A/V club to pull this off anyway."

"Yeah, but Lauren Zizes is the president of the A/V club, not Artie. If we are going to ask for their help we have to go through her."

"Well, that's another thing I wanted to suggest to you."

"What?" Kurt asked not really liking where this was going.

What ensued was a lot of arguing back and force. They argued back and forth, and while all of the ideas were incredibly risky, Kurt had to admit they were good. Since he couldn't come up with an original song and he was pressed for time Kurt had no choice, but to agree. Ironing out the details though took a lot of time, and was a lot of aggravation. Kurt just wasn't comfortable with putting his life on display. They had to stop though when Noah came back.

"How did it go?" Kurt inquired as Noah sat down next to him.

"I don't know," Noah said.

"Your mom hasn't cooled down yet?" Sam asked.

"A little bit, but she's still ticked off, and it took everything I had, not to start fighting with her."

"Well, just give it time. What else have you got?" Kurt shrugged.

"At least she agreed to let Sarah visit," Noah informed.

The guys all decided to relax and watch some movies, since no one wanted to get into anything too heavily emotional right now. Sam brought over Batman: Under the Red Hood for them to watch. As he popped in the movie, Noah asked if Kurt could serve them up some drinks. Kurt said no, since his father was home, and more importantly Finn was here. If the stories Noah said were true, Finn couldn't hold his liquor and Kurt knew he couldn't keep a secret. Disappointed, Noah just shrugged, and began to undress as he usually did when he knew he wasn't going anywhere. Kurt got into his sleeping clothes, and Sam just undressed like Noah. This of course left the soprano sitting in between two half naked jocks.

Half way through the movie Fenrir came bounding down the stairs with Finn right behind him carrying an over night bag. He stopped short at the foot of the stairs as he took in the sight before him. Kurt was comfortably sandwiched between Noah and Sam. Kurt was leaning into Noah with Noah's arms draped over him, and Sam was on Kurt's opposite side looking totally at ease. What made the scene more shocking though was that Noah was in nothing, but a pair of boxers, and Sam was wearing nothing but some boxer briefs and an undershirt.

"Everything OK Finn?" Sam asked, noticing the uncomfortable look Finn had on his face.

"Uh, yeah," Finn replied slowly. "Uh, Burt went upstairs to get some sleep so I, uh... came down here."

"Sit down and join us then," Kurt offered. "There's plenty of space."

Finn just nodded and placed his overnight bag down behind the sofa. He sat down next to Sam and Fenrir curled up on the floor in front of the couch. They watched the movie in silence until the end. Kurt asked what else they wanted to watch and Noah picked out 'Face/Off'. When that was done it was time go to bed. Sadly enough, this caused a bit of a dilemma.

"Uh, Kurt, where can I sleep?"

"You can take the couch Finn."

"But, where is Sam going to sleep?" Finn asked completely confused.

"I can share Kurt's bed since it's huge enough for a few people to share," Sam stated with a shrug.

Finn looked surprised, but the rest just ignored him and paid him no mind.

"Get off my bed," Noah demanded, as Fenrir jumped onto his mattress.

"Aw, but he likes you," Kurt joked.

"I don't care; he's not waking me up again."

"Come here Fenrir," Sam commanded.

The wolf-dog obeyed with a whine and jumped off Noah's bed.

"He can sleep at the foot of my bed, since there is still more than enough room," Kurt offered.

"Oh, um, I was going to wake up early and go for a morning jog with Fenrir. Do you want to join us?" Sam offered.

"Sure, I'd love to," Kurt answered.

Kurt let Sam and Fenrir get into his bed, while he dug in his closet to get a spare comforter and pillow for Finn. He set up the couch even though Finn said he didn't have to go to the trouble. Kurt just told Finn it wasn't a problem. Even though he and Finn weren't friends anymore, he didn't want to be rude. Besides, he was a polite host if nothing else. While he did all that Finn darted upstairs, most likely to change into something to sleep in. Once he was done, he crawled under his sheets and bid everyone goodnight.

-Scene change-

Kurt and Sam woke up early to go for a job. When they were done they went back to Kurt's place and made everyone breakfast. He made lunch for Finn, Noah, and his dad, and asked his dad to take it easy on the junk food. Once they were gone, Kurt cleaned up and brought Sam up to the attic. They came back down to Kurt's room with boxes of old home movies and photo albums. Pulling out some random video tapes, Sam looked them over and saw one labeled 'Kurt's 1st birthday/ Kurt's 1st word'. He popped it into the VCR and then hit play. Kurt didn't look too happy, but just let it go. They needed to go over the tapes to see what could be used.

The screen came to life and on it was a woman who couldn't be anyone, but Kurt's mother in the kitchen. She was holding little Kurt up in her arms smiling at him. Kurt was looking at the camera and as the camera zoomed in Kurt began to cry.

"Oh Liz, I don't know why he hates me," Burt's sad voice said, his wife put Kurt down in a booster seat at the table.

"Burt, he doesn't hate you. You're his father. He loves you," she smiled and grabbed the camera away from her husband.

She pointed the camera back at Kurt who had stopped crying once Burt had moved away.

"Is the cake ready?" Burt asked, still sounding depressed.

"Yes, it's ready. When is everyone else getting here?"

"We still have an hour before people start to show up," Burt said.

"Good, that will give me time to put the words on the cake," Liz said happily. "Why don't you play with Kurt in the living room until I'm done?"

The camera panned away from Kurt and onto a much younger Burt Hummel. Burt looked nervous, but without a word he picked up little Kurt in his arms. Immediately, Kurt began to cry, and Burt looked just looked all the sadder. The camera followed him to the living room where there were decorations for Kurt's 1st birthday party. As Burt put his son down next to some toys he still kept crying. The video went on until Kurt's mother said she was done. Burt looked relieved and grabbed the camera from his wife. She picked up the crying little boy in her arms and began to sing to him in a beautiful voice. Kurt calmed down a bit, but was still staring into the camera. Halfway through the song, Kurt reached out towards the camera, and stuttered something out.

"Oh my god, Burt," Kurt's mother exclaimed, as she looked at her husband.

The camera shook a bit as Burt tried to steady his hands.

"What did you say sweetheart?" Liz asked her son.

"Da," little Kurt finally managed to say after a few grueling moments.

"Did, he just…" Burt uttered.

"Da!" Kurt said louder reaching out again with his little hands.

Burt immediately put down the camera and kneeled down by his son. The camera was picked by Liz as she began to tape the interaction.

"DaDa!" Kurt finally said jumping up and down.

Burt grabbed his son in a hug as tears began to stream down his face.

"I thought you hated me buddy," Burt gasped out, as he picked up his son in his arms.

"Burt, I told you, Kurt loves you. Don't you Kurt?"

Little Kurt just grabbed his fathers nose and giggled as Burt tickled his side. Kurt then grabbed Burt's ever present cap and began to bite the rim, making both his parents laugh. The video was suddenly paused and Sam looked over at Kurt.

"Come on; let's look through the albums first. We'll look at the videos later.

Sam just nodded and grabbed a stack of photo albums.

"So, uh, what was all that?" Sam asked after a few minutes.

"A month and a half or so before my first birthday, whenever my dad got close to me I started to cry," Kurt explained. "My dad was really heartbroken over it. My mom kept telling him that it wasn't his fault. After I said my first word, my mom said the reason I cried was because I kept trying to call for my dad. In the end she was always the one who would explain my dad and me to the other."

"Wow," Sam said. "No wonder you miss her so much, she was so-"

"She's dead Sam," Kurt cut him off as if he was commenting on the weather.

Sam was shocked at his friends' coldness. After a moment, he just turned backed to the albums. When that was done and they had found some stuff to work with they turned to the video tapes. Thankfully, his mother had labeled everything clearly. Having watched all the movies before, Kurt was able to pick a few out without having to watch them. They watched a few of the videos that Kurt wasn't sure about until Sam's cell phone rang.

After a short conversation Sam said he had to get going since his uncle had gotten home early. With that said Sam gathered his things and left after giving Kurt a hug goodbye. Left alone, Kurt began to look through the tapes once more. He watched a few of the movies until it finally became too depressing. Kurt went upstairs and made himself some dinner. When he was done eating he went to his room, and as he walked down the stairs a realization hit him. This was probably the last time he would have his room to himself. Wanting to cheer himself up a bit he decided to do what he usually did before Noah moved in with him.

-Next Scene-

The football game was a blast and Noah had to admit, he had a great time with Mr. Hummel. Everyone was so focused on the game and even Finn had loosened up. They had dropped Finn off at home and now he was walking into the house. Everything was quiet and none of the lights were off. Burt went upstairs to get some sleep since it was pretty late. Noah bid him goodnight and headed for the basement. He heard music from behind the door and as he opened it the music was so loud it made him wince. He went down stairs and saw Kurt dancing wildly while singing along with the music.

_Don't stop, make it pop  
DJ, blow my speakers up  
Tonight, Imma fight  
Til we see the sunlight  
Tick tock, on the clock  
But the party don't stop  
Woah-oh oh oh  
Woah-oh oh oh_

_Aint got a care in world, but got plenty of beer  
Aint got no money in my pocket, but I'm already here  
Now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger  
But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger  
I'm talking about - everybody getting crunk, crunk  
Boys trying to touch my junk, junk  
Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk  
Now, now - we goin til they kick us out, out  
Or the police shut us down, down  
Police shut us down, down  
Po-po shut us –_

Kurt's movements were wild and Noah couldn't help, but admire his flexibility as his body twisted and turned in ways he knew his body never could.

_Don't stop, make it pop  
DJ, blow my speakers up  
Tonight, Imma fight  
Til we see the sunlight  
Tick tock, on the clock  
But the party don't stop  
Woah-oh oh oh  
Woah-oh oh oh_

_Don't stop, make it pop  
DJ, blow my speakers up  
Tonight, Imma fight  
Til we see the sunlight  
Tick tock, on the clock  
But the party don't stop  
Woah-oh oh oh  
Woah-oh oh oh_

_DJ, you build me up  
You break me down  
My heart, it pounds  
Yeah, you got me  
With my hands up  
You got me now  
You gotta that sound  
Yea, you got me  
DJ, you build me up  
You break me down  
My heart, it pounds  
Yeah, you got me  
With my hands up  
Get your hands up  
Put your hands up  
No, the party don't start until I walk in_

Kurt was so lost in the music he had no idea Noah was watching, captivated at the foot of the stairs.

_Don't stop, make it pop  
DJ, blow my speakers up  
Tonight, Imma fight  
Til we see the sunlight  
Tick tock, on the clock  
But the party don't stop  
Woah-oh oh oh  
Woah-oh oh oh_

_Don't stop, make it pop  
DJ, blow my speakers up  
Tonight, Imma fight  
Til we see the sunlight  
Tick tock, on the clock  
But the party don't stop  
Woah-oh oh oh  
Woah-oh oh oh_

The music faded and Kurt stopped and gasped in exhaustion with his back turned to Noah. The next song began and Kurt moved slowly with the tune as he tried to regain his breath.

_We are the crowd, we're c-comin' out  
Got my flash on, it's true  
Need that picture of you  
It so magical, we'd be so fantastical_

Leather and jeans, garage glamorous  
Not sure what it means  
But this photo of us it don't have a price  
Ready for those flashing light  
'Cause you know that baby, I

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi  
Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be  
Your papa, paparazzi

Promise I'll be kind  
But I won't stop until that boy is mine  
Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi

The music was slower than the last song allowing Kurt to stay in sync with it in his exhaustion. The sweat from his body had soaked his shirt clean through and it was clinging to his torso. Not stopping his dance Kurt peeled of his shirt, and whipped it around him before tossing it over his back.

_I'll be your girl backstage at your show  
Velvet ropes and guitars  
Yeah, cause you're my rock star in between the sets  
Eyeliner and cigarettes_

Shadow is burnt, yellow dance and we turn  
My lashes are dry, purple teardrops I cry  
It don't have a price, loving you is cherry pie  
Cause you know that baby, I

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi  
Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be  
Your papa, paparazzi

Promise I'll be kind  
But I won't stop until that boy is mine  
Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi

Since he thought he was alone Kurt had no inhibitions or worries of propriety to hold him back. Kurt's dance moves were practically screaming 'come fuck me'. Even in the choir room when he was dancing with Brittany he hadn't gone this far. As Kurt sang he slid his legs slowly apart as he moved his hips, getting lower and lower to the floor. And as the next verse began he reversed his movements slowly standing to his original position, making his ass bounce with his movements. The sight instantly caused Noah's heart to beat faster and all the blood to run straight to his groin as he stared at Kurt completely transfixed.

_Real good, we dance in the studio  
Snap, snap to that shit on the radio  
Don't stop for anyone  
We're plastic but we still have fun_

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi  
Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be  
Your papa, paparazzi

Promise I'll be kind  
But I won't stop until that boy is mine  
Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me  
Papa, paparazzi

As the music ended Noah began to clap making Kurt jump in surprise. He quickly turned off the music as the next song began. Kurt tried to brush the sweat soaked hair out of his eyes in a vain attempt to compose himself. Noah was smiling at him like the Cheshire cat and he was still too out of breath to say anything. Looking for his shirt he saw it on the floor and quickly put it back on.

"Aw, and I was hoping for more Angel Face," Noah groaned playfully.

Kurt threw him a look that said he wasn't amused, which only increased his enjoyment of the moment.

"What… are you doing… back so early?" Kurt panted out.

"What are you talking about? It's past eleven," Noah said still smiling.

Kurt looked at the clock on his cell phone and saw his friend was right. He had been so lost in the music that he had been dancing for almost the past three hour's non-stop.

"Didn't know you had such a naughty side Kurt. Are you going to dance like that for the assembly?" Noah joked.

Still out of breath Kurt just flipped him off making Noah laugh. Kurt got himself a bottle of water and collapsed on the couch. Noah just watched as he closed his eyes and took a long pull of the water. He looked away and began to undress. He went to use the bathroom before he turned in for the night, as well as to give Kurt a moment to cool down in peace. When he came back out, Kurt was putting away some video tapes into a box along with what looked like photos albums.

"What's all this?"

"Just something for a project I'm working on," Kurt said as he tried to pick up the boxes.

In his exhausted state the boxes were too much for him causing him to nearly fall over. Noah grabbed him, but the boxes fell spilling out their contents on the floor. Kurt cursed under his breath and began to pick everything up. Noah helped him put all the video tapes back in into the boxes along with the albums. Instead of Kurt picking them up he grabbed them himself and asked Kurt where he wanted to put them. Kurt thanked him and told Noah to put them in the closet for now.

Still exhausted, Kurt decided to take a hot bath and clean the sweat off his body. Next week was going to be busy, and with his dad trying to get everything set up for Carole and Finn to move back in next weekend, he had a feeling his acting abilities were going to be put to the test.

-End Chapter-

-Authors Note-

Songs used in chapter:

Color songs:

Mercedes: TLC - Red Light Special: This song just seemed perfect for Mercedes. If none of you even remember who TLC was go look up the song and listen to it. It fits Mercedes perfectly and it's sexy as hell for such a strong proud black woman.

Santana: Alannah Myles: Black Velvet: I must thank JasonDragon64 for this song. I had not heard it before, and when I looked it up I was amazed. And I managed to use it to further some plot lines. Jason, thank you for your review, and I sincerely hope you keep reviewing.

Rachel: Dido - White Flag: I personally loved this song and I thought it would contrast well with Santana's choice of song.

Brittany: Pocahontas - Colors of the Wind: For some reason, Brittany is so innocent she makes me think of all the Disney movies I used to watch as a kid, and I have to say this song just screamed out at me for her. Does anyone think I'm wrong?

Artie: The Who - Behind Blue Eyes: I choose this song for Artie because it really stuck a cord with me as I listened to it. Although, I was torn between choosing this and another song for Artie, but I hadn't made up my mind until I got to his turn and I choose this one as an insult to Rachel's attitude. So, in reality Artie did switch songs last minute. Maybe you'll hear the other song in the next chapter, since I actually liked it just as much.

Sam & Quinn: Tyler Hilton & Bethany Joy Lenz – When the Star Go Blue: I heard this song on One Tree Hill and it always stuck with me. Even though I was horribly disappointed Sam didn't end up with Kurt, Sam and Quinn do make a good couple and I wished they had done this song for the duet competition. I might give them another duet to do next chapter, but I'm not sure.

Finn: Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon: this is one of my favorite songs from this group and I thought it matched Finn's voice very well. Is there a hidden message in the song? You guys tell me, lol.

Tina: The Cardigans - The Bluest Eyes In Texas: I first heard this song in the movie 'Boys Don't Cry' which was based on a true story. The song seemed to fit the situation between Artie and Tina which I felt was completely side stepped in show. So, I choose this to kind of match up with Artie's song choice since to the best of my knowledge Artie does have blue eyes.

Noah: AC/DC – Back In Black: Like Noah said in season one to that M.I.L.F., he's Rock & Roll plain and simple. This song is a classic and as soon as I saw it I thought of Noah. Does anyone disagree?

Mike & Matt: Eiffel 65 - Blue, Will Smith - Men In Black: I originally didn't plan to put these together but as I was writing out the chapter on the spur of the moment I combined them after I remembered the music video for Blue having blue aliens in it. And I wanted to try and put Matt more into the story since I haven't really done anything with him yet.

Kurt: Billie Holiday - Am I Blue?: I chose this song in all honesty, because I loved it when Kevin Conroy sang it as Batman in the Justice League series. When I looked up the song I found a bunch of different versions of it but none that matched what I heard. They changed the lyrics for the series since Batman is of course a straight guy. So, I took Billie Holidays lyrics and tweaked them a bit, but kept them mostly the same. There are lots of hidden meanings in this song so I dare you all to figure it out. When I wrote this I imagined Kurt singing it just like Kevin Conroy did. If any of you want to know what it sounds like, go to youtube and look up 'justice league – am I blue and just click on the video. Another reason I chose this was because I noticed Kurt's singing voice has gotten deeper since season one. Has anyone else noticed it?

Other songs used:

KeSha - Tik Tok

Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

OK everyone, here is the new chapter. I tried to do the best I can and I hope you all enjoy. I tried to put a lot more character development in this chapter and I hope I did it well. Most of the song choices for color I did by just looking through my zune and stopping at each song that had a color in the title and listened to each before picking out which ones I wanted to use.

As for the interaction with Kurt and Noah, I just couldn't help myself pushing it further in this chapter. I hope I didn't go too far since I still want to take it slow with the pair. Also, I want to clear some things up. Since Kurt got Puck out of juvie early, things are not happening in sync with the show. The events in 'never been kissed' will be happening soon, but I'm putting my own spin on it since things aren't the same anymore. Also for those of you who are wondering, the Rocky Horror episode is still going to happen and I have some huge things planned. I just hope I can pull it all off and make it believable.

I would also like to clarify that Burt and Carole aren't getting married in this story. Instead I am having them live together and forcing everything to come to a boil. As for Finn, well, read this chapter and decided for yourself where he's going. Right now Kurt has dumped so much on him he might be starting to wake up. But will that be a good thing or not we'll have to wait and see because I honestly don't even know.

Someone reviewed and while they applauded my story they also said I was putting in useless things in describing every little detail of what everyone is wearing or eating or Kurt's cooking. I hope I have cut that down in this chapter and I'll keep an eye on that. However, some of the stuff you mentioned is actually important to the story. I like being sneaky and in every chapter I have hidden clues to everything I'm going to write in the future chapters. In fact I already gave the ending to this story away in a previous chapter. But that's the only hint I'm giving anybody about it.

Someone also mentioned Emma and yes I will put her in. I'm trying to find a way to put in more of the characters in the story, but it's difficult since they are hard to write. I'm going to try my best and try to keep them in character as much as possible. But I'm also going to try and put in more of the glee characters next chapter as they all prepare for the assembly. Next chapter will contain Sam's birthday, and the assembly. Finally, I just want to say that sometimes I write things out and then go back and complete redo a scene or delete it all together because it gets so OOC that it just doesn't fit. I reviewer said they were curious to see those scenes so I enclosed a special omake below. The omake is how I originally wrote the scene for when they were deciding on the auditorium schedule. I hope you all enjoy.

OMAKE:

They all went around choosing what times they preferred. Since Kurt, Mercedes and Matt had already discussed their number beforehand it wasn't a problem. The rest of the group took their time figuring it all out and it started to get heated thanks to Rachel demanding the most time.

"Mr. Shue you can't be serious! Quinn and Brittany don't need that much time to rehearse. I doubt they will be able to come up with anything that could need that much preparation time."

"You know I used to think you were just annoying but now I seriously feel like punching you every time you open your mouth," Quinn declared obviously upset at Rachel's backhanded insults.

"Let's face it Quinn, you're just a cheerleader. You may be able to dance a bit, but your voice isn't anything extraordinary. And Brittany is so stupid she can't understand the lyrics to most of the songs we sing anyway."

Even Finn had to look at her in shock for what she just said. Brittany shot out of her chair, ran out of the room as she started to cry.

"What the hell is your problem Rachel!" Artie yelled as he turned his wheelchair towards the offending brunette.

"Artie," Mr. Shue warned.

"No, I'm sick of this," Artie said, not caring if he got in trouble. "Rachel, as much as you don't want to believe this, you're the one who isn't extraordinary. You go on and on about how much better you are then us, when the truth is you just act this way to cover up the fact that you're the worthless one here."

"That's enough Artie," Mr. Shue tried to step in only to be ignored.

"Quinn may be a cheerleader, but from what I've seen her voice is more beautiful than yours, because she, unlike you, can actually feel something for others. And when she sings she can make others feel and see things the way she does. While you, just sound hollow and empty like some recording because there is nothing inside of you even worth mentioning. And while Brittany might not be a rocket scientist, she's smart enough to manage to do what no one else here has. She's kept her innocence and kind heart in a cruel world. And the fact that that she can do all of that surrounded by empty cruel people like yourself Rachel… _That_ is what makes her truly extraordinary and what makes you a bitch. So, I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say; GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

Artie spun in his wheel ignoring all of Mr. Shue's yells at him to come back. He stormed off most likely to find his girlfriend.

"You know," Santana spoke, breaking everyone out of their shock. "I knew one day someone would say that, but I never thought it would be Artie."


	9. Growing Bonds

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Growing Bonds

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: LaLaTink

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin Chapter-

-Monday-

At first Kurt was worried that Mike joining in the work out would be awkward but Artie didn't seem to hold any ill will towards Mike. Matt seemed to have a lot of fun and wasn't as shy as he always was. Kurt guessed that he was so used to hanging out with the football team that he felt more in his element. Sam took charge and got everyone working on what he thought they each needed to improve on. Kurt went up in weight and was glad he was getting stronger. He liked the idea of not being so small and fragile anymore.

When they were done, Sam and Kurt talked to Artie about the video. Artie was all up for the idea but when Kurt explained his idea he said they would need Lauren's help. Especially since she seemed to be the expert at hidden cameras and microphones. Which wasn't supring to Kurt since she was also the one who sold him his fake I.D. So with a shrug Kurt just followed Artie to the A/V where they found Lauren Zizes looking over some footage while eating a box of Ding Dongs. Once they explained what they wanted Lauren agreed to help them, but only after Kurt promised to bake her a rum chocolate soufflé. With that Kurt left the A/V room with a small hidden camera disguised as a brooch clipped to his coat.

After that Kurt took off to class and sent a text to Matt and Mercedes, reminding them that they had to meet next period to check out the stage. They had to plan out how they were going to pull off the idea for their musical number. When they met up they checked out the equipment to see what they could do. They figured it out just in time as Noah came in with Tina for their turn in the auditorium. The trio then left to head for the gymnastics room, only to find a rather unpleasant surprise. Quinn was already using it along with Brittany to practice for their own musical number.

It took a while to sort out but the five of them resolved everything. They agreed to split up the Cheerios and the gymnastic room evenly. It was a good compromise and Kurt was glad they were both planning something big. The only problem was they were short on male dancers. Kurt texted Sam, Artie, and Mike and asked if they could help the trio out. They texted back that it wouldn't be a problem. After rehearsing Kurt was walking to lunch when he was suddenly hit by over a dozen slushies, courtesy of the football team. Completely soaked head to toe, Kurt was forced to skip lunch and go wash up and change. Thankfully the camera wasn't damaged and was still recording. Kurt reattached it and went to class.

As he was walking there he realized Noah had to start community service today and wouldn't be able to give him a ride after school to the garage. He texted Mercedes to see if she could give him a ride. She said it wouldn't be a problem and Kurt breathed a little easier. Lately he had been spending less and less time with Mercedes which he regretted. Everything was just so stressed right now that he barely had time for anything anymore. Not to mention he was completely broke and didn't even have enough money to go bowling with Cedes.

He was going to get paid Friday and was hoping to ask Mercedes if she wanted to go shopping and spend the day together. Now that Carole and Finn were moving in Saturday his weekend plans were shot. The idea of being stuck at home wasn't exactly appealing all things considered. At least he had Noah to make it easier. But now that he had community service to do Noah was going to be kept busy as well for the next few weeks.

Putting it out of his mind Kurt continued with the rest of the day. He noticed some of the A/V crew around sometimes and guessed Lauren already got them started. Kurt hoped it wouldn't all blow up in his face later on. When the day was over Mercedes drove him to the garage and dropped him off. Finn was already there cleaning up what looked like some spilled anti-freeze.

"What happened?" Kurt asked neutrally.

"Uh, I just had a clumsy moment" Finn responded uneasily.

"Finn, isn't dad supposed to be supervising you?"

"Uh yeah, but he had to take this important call from one of those contractor guys. He's in his office right now."

"Finn!" Kurt suddenly yelled.

Finn had pushed the anti-freeze around with a mop splashing Kurt's shoes, affectively ruining them.

"Oh sorry Kurt. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright!" Kurt cut off the clumsy jock. "Finn, you can't clean spilled chemicals like that. You're just making a huge mess and spreading it all over, which is going to cause an accident."

"Sorry, I just thought I could mop it up like anything else."

"Just wait here. Since dad is busy I'll give you hand. Let me just get my coveralls on and I'll be right back" Kurt told Finn.

Finn looked grateful and Kurt just went to the office where his dad was still on the phone. He put on his coveralls and grabbed his extra set. He put the extra into his bag to take home and alter later on. He went back outside and began to help Finn in cleaning up the mess. Kurt explained about the proper way to clean up chemicals and how to dispose of them correctly. Just as they were about done cleaning the mess Burt came out of his office.

"Kurt, I got to get home right now. Can you take care of Finn?"

"Sure dad. Is anything wrong?" Kurt asked.

"No, it's just that Daniel got me in touch with this contractor who owes him a huge favor. He's heading over to the house right now and I got to get there to let him in and take a look."

"I'll take care of everything here dad" Kurt assured.

Burt took off and Kurt and Finn finished cleaning up. After that Kurt brought Finn along and did his usual rounds. As he did Kurt explained to Finn everything he was doing from fixing a radiator to body work. He had to go slow to explaining things step by step as well as what tools to use and how to use them. He didn't let Finn do any of the repairs since he still was no where near ready to do them. At one point or another Finn looked completely lost, so Kurt broke things down as simply as could.

"How are you getting home?" Finn asked as Kurt was closing things up.

"I'm just going to take the bus and I can walk the rest of the way" Kurt answered as he put some papers away in a filing cabinet.

"If… you want I can just give you a ride" Finn offered uneasily.

"It's ok Finn, you don't have to" Kurt told the jock.

"Come on. It's the least I could since you helped me out today" Finn insisted.

"That's nice of you but I have to go to the grocery store first. I need baking supplies since I'm going to bake stuff for Sam's party."

"_Not to mention the soufflé I promised Lauren" Kurt thought._

"I can take you. This way you don't have to carry all that on the bus" Finn reasoned.

"Ok, just let me finish here and wash up" Kurt said.

Kurt finished noting down some repair forms and checking the inventory. He then went to wash up and clean himself off. As he was doing so he heard the phone ring. Quickly grabbing a towel he headed for the office only to hear Finn picking it up. Finn was staring at the phone receiver with a strange look on his face. Instantly, Kurt knew what happened and grabbed the receiver out of Finn's hand and hung up the phone.

"Kurt… that-"

"Just forget about it Finn" Kurt sighed as he took of his coveralls.

Finn didn't know what to say and just stared at Kurt.

"Let's go" Kurt said to the jock as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

They walked out silently and Kurt locked everything up. They piled into Finn's car and started driving.

"Kurt, that call-"

"I know Finn. It's cool. Just put it out of your mind."

"How do you know what they were calling for?"

"Because Finn, it's not the first time we've gotten a spooky anonymous call" Kurt explained.

"We got to tell Burt about this!"

"He already knows Finn."

"What?"

Kurt just took a deep breath and tried to steady himself.

"Finn, the phone calls started last year. Dad doesn't even know that I know they're still calling. The only reason I found out was because since the arrhythmia, I had to take over the garage until now, and I ended up picking up a few of the calls myself."

"I'm sorry Kurt."

"Don't apologize Finn. You are not the one calling the garage like a coward. Forget about it and don't mention it to dad. He doesn't need any more stress."

Finn looked like he wanted to say something else but thankfully he didn't. They made it to the grocery store and Kurt knowing already what he needed was done shopping in ten minutes. Once they reached Kurt's house, Kurt thanked him for the ride. Kurt got out of the car and saw a large pick up truck in the driveway with a full lumber rack. Going inside he saw his dad talking with a rather tall man in the living room.

"The best thing would be to knock a part of the wall off here" the man said as he wrote something down on a clipboard. "All the space on the second floor is all used up and there is no place to really add an addition to the house on from there."

"Well if that's the only way then when do you think you can get it all done by?" Burt asked.

"Well, if I start this week, my crew and I should have it done no later than the second week of November."

They went on to discuss price and Kurt just went to the kitchen. He sorted out what he needed for the baking he had to do and then went downstairs to drop off his bag on top of his bed. By the time he was done the guy had already left and Burt was looking over some papers on the kitchen counter.

"Hey Kurt. How did everything at the garage go?"

"It was fine" Kurt stated as he began to make dinner.

"How did Finn do?"

"He did alright. But he's got a long way to go before he can do repairs unsupervised."

"I'm glad you two are finally getting along" Burt declared.

"It wasn't that difficult dad. I just needed to grow up" Kurt shrugged as he turned his back to the stove.

"Don't grow up on me too fast. Before you know it you'll be moving out and living on your own" Burt joked.

"_You have no idea dad" Kurt thought._

"So how did it go with the contractor?"

"Good. When Carole and Finn move in we got to move some stuff around. But I was thinking about what to do with the piano."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, feeling a pit in his stomach.

"Well it takes up a lot of space in the living room. Carole and I were thinking about what to do with it last time she moved in. I was thinking we could take this chance and put it into storage until we could find someone to buy it."

"Sounds like a reasonable idea" Kurt agreed, though still not turning around to face his father.

"Are you OK with that?"

"Sure dad. And Carole could take the chance to do some redecorating once we put all the furniture back" Kurt said as he finally turned back to his father.

"I'm sure you could help her with that."

"Not really. I'm sure Carole can handle redecorating on her own."

"Well I thought you two would like to spend some time together since I'm spending a bit more time with Finn" Burt explained.

"That's nice of you dad. But Carole is going to be the woman of the house so she should get the final say on how to decorate the house. Besides, considering how my last foray into interior decorating ended, I'm sure Carole can handle it on her own" Kurt reminded his father.

"Well if you change your mind just let Carole know" Burt offered.

Kurt just nodded and went back to cooking. Noah came home just as he was done setting the table. Dinner was pleasant and Kurt just tried to enjoy the nice quiet dinner with his father and friend. On the inside his chest was clenching at the idea of his mother's piano being sold. He couldn't look at it without remembering his mother teaching him how to play it when he was a little boy. In the end Kurt steeled his resolve to see all this through. There was no way he could stop now and he had no choice but to keep moving forward.

After dinner Noah went downstairs to relax and Burt went to watch TV in the living room. Kurt began baking the rum chocolate soufflé for Lauren, since he had to deliver it to her by tomorrow morning. But he figured that since he needed to bake Sam's cake and other party foods, he could get some of that done as well. Once the soufflé was in the oven he started making the frosting for Sam's cake. When that was done he began making the fruit filling for the cake as well. Finishing up, Kurt made sure the soufflé was perfect and called it quits for the night. He went back down stairs and saw Noah on the couch relaxing. He went over to his bed and sketching out whatever came to his mind.

-Tuesday-

The day passed in a blur. Since it was the day they all did calisthenics Kurt let the guys into the gymnastics room. Kurt explained the routine to Mike and Matt while Sam and Noah helped Artie with his own exercises. When they were done Kurt began on his own gymnastics routine and began to make use of the equipment. Mike was very impressed with all of Kurt's moves and asked if Kurt could teach him some. Since Mike already knew how to do back flips and such do to his dancing he took to the gymnastics like a fish to water.

Seeing as how that was so simple for the Asian, Kurt decided to kick it up a notch and add some rhythmic gymnastics. Kurt put on some music and Kurt showed Mike some moves with the clubs. Before the others knew it they were watching Kurt and Mike pull off some amazing gymnastics moves in a complicated display. Mike had no trouble keeping up with the soprano as Kurt led him through all of the steps. When it was over they stopped only to receive applause from the guys who had stopped to watch the duo. They both bowed playfully and Kurt told them to get back to working out. Mike asked Kurt to show him some more to which Kurt happily obliged

As soon as the morning work out was over, Mercedes showed up with the Cheerios. A lot of hooting and hollering was done by the girls as they saw all the guys in the room. They had all taken their shirts off and all the girls were enjoying the show. Noah of coarse loved the attention and began to flex and pose to show off. He was immediately surrounded by a few of the Cheerios who just wanted to cop a feel. Kurt had to admit, that with his gorgeous body and pierced nipples the girls were right in admiring the view. He went to get his shirt and saw how Mercedes looked at Matt's body. Matt noticed and blushed, quickly putting his own shirt back on.

When the guys all left the trio spent all morning singing and rehearsing with the Cheerios. They then went to lunch exhausted but excited for Friday to come. The trio couldn't wait to show everyone what they could do and even Matt was feeling more confident with both Kurt and Mercedes encouraging him. After lunch they went to class and Mike surprised Kurt in the hall way. Mike asked him for some help. It turned out that Mike wanted to give Sam something for his birthday but couldn't decided on what until Kurt's music for their exercise routine had given him inspiration. Kurt agreed to help him by singing while Mike did an original dance number with Tina. Kurt almost laughed at Mike's song choice. It seemed Sam's love for science fiction was becoming infamous. Mike said he remembered how Kurt could sing in other languages and hoped he could sing it instead of him just playing the recording. Kurt said he would love to and Kurt went to look up the lyrics and music. After school Kurt rehearsed with Matt and Mercedes. Mercedes gave him a ride home and he began cooking dinner. His father had called him earlier and told him he wouldn't be home for dinner. Carole needed his help getting everything ready for the move, so it would just be Noah and himself for dinner

Last night Noah seemed more ravenous than usual and Kurt figured it was all of the excretion from the community service. So tonight he made a large batch of spaghetti with kosher beef meatballs. To kick it up a notch he made a special sauce to go with it. Wanting to do something special he went to his room and came back with his last bottle of red wine. He put it in fridge to chill and since he was going to use the oven anyway he decided to make some fresh handmade garlic bread. He was about to start a salad when Noah walked in.

"Damn what smells so good?" Noah proclaimed as he walked into the kitchen.

"Go wash up, dinner is almost ready" Kurt smiled.

"Where's Burt?"

"He's over at Carole's. He won't be back until late tonight."

"So what's all this then?" Noah asked.

"Well, since Carole and Finn will be moving in Saturday, this is probably the last time the two of us will have the house to ourselves. And seeing as how you were so hungry last night from your community service, I thought you would be again."

"Thanks Angel Face" Noah said.

"Your welcome. Now go wash up, dinner is almost ready" Kurt commanded.

Noah went and washed up while Kurt finished making dinner. Kurt set the table and pulled the wine out of the fridge. He uncorked the wine and poured each of them a full glass.

"I thought you said you had enough alcohol" Noah said as he saw Kurt pour the wine.

"Well, I thought you deserved something special for all the hard work you've done. Not to mention I want to get rid of some of the liquor I have stashed away. Now that Finn is moving in, I don't know how long I can keep my stash a secret. With my clothes, your clothes, and now Finn's clothes in my closet, he'll eventually find my cache."

"Well, we could just have a party. We can invite a bunch of chicks over and have a blast down in the basement. By morning all the booze will be gone" Noah suggested eagerly.

"That's your idea of a good time Noah Puckerman, not mine" Kurt reminded. "My dad would find out if we or rather, _you_ had an orgy in the basement and that the liquor was mine. Then we would both be in serious trouble" Kurt admonished as he pasted Noah the salad he had made.

Noah began to eat while Kurt served himself some salad and sat down.

"So what do you think we should do with it then?"

"I don't know. I'd drink it but I don't have the time to drink that much liquor without dying of alcohol poisoning."

"Well I still say we should have party," Noah winked.

"Getting a bunch of women into my bedroom just so you can have drunken sex with them is not going to happen Puck" Kurt reiterated.

"You are such a wet blanket Angel Face. You got to have some fun in life. "

"How is me watching you have sex fun?" Kurt scoffed as he took a sip wine.

"I could teach a lot about sex" Noah said proudly. "Brittany might have shown you _some_ stuff. But I'm the stud of Lima. I've been fucking chicks since I was twelve. I dare you to find anyone more qualified."

"I'm gay Noah. You can't teach me how to have sex. I doubt you would find it… appetizing" Kurt replied.

"Well then that leaves us with a shit load of booze and nothing to do" Noah shrugged with a smile.

Kurt just shook his head and began to serve up the spaghetti along with the garlic bread. Noah moaned as he tasted the food.

"I'd live here forever as long as you cooked every night."

"Enjoy it while you can. Once Carole moves in with Finn she'll be cooking almost all the time" Kurt laughed.

"That's not so bad. She's a good cook too."

"Yeah" Kurt agreed.

"But, right now I am loving this" Noah said as he shoved a whole meatball into his mouth.

"Well, I'm glad. Last night you ate like you were starving. I guess cleaning up trash by the highway is more draining than it sounds."

"You have no idea" Noah said as he took in a mouth full of bread.

"It's only for a few weeks. It will be over soon and then you'll be off probation."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you" Noah admitted.

"I got you out of juvie Noah but you did the rest. I'm really proud of you."

"I think that's the first time someone's ever told me that" Noah declared sadly.

Their eyes locked for a moment and they both stayed silent. They ate in companionable silence for minute, each giving the food there undivided attention. Noah asked for another helping to which Kurt gave him happily. Kurt finished his food and began to get everything he needed to start baking.

"You're making desert?"

"No. I didn't have time to make desert. This is for Sam's birthday tomorrow. I have to make the cake and everything else."

"Never got the point of everyone celebrating birthdays. All it means is you managed not to die."

"Didn't you like having birthdays when you were a kid?"

"I grew out of it when Sarah was born" Noah shrugged as he finished the last of the food on his plate.

"It sounds like the both of us had to grow up too fast" Kurt said remorsefully. "After my mom died, my dad tried to spoil me to try and make things ok. I barely talked anymore unless I absolutely had to. School was a nightmare and I didn't have any friends. By the time my ninth birthday rolled around my dad was ready to give me anything just to get me to smile."

"You're dads a good guy. You were lucky" Noah said as he downed the last of wine.

"I was" Kurt agreed. "But Sarah's really lucky to have you."

"Not really," Noah shook his head. "She deserved to have a _real_ father, instead of having to manage with just me."

Noah stood up and put his plate and glass in the sink. He was about to go downstairs until he felt Kurt grab his elbow. He looked and saw Kurt smiling at him sadly.

"Noah, Sarah is a wonderful little girl. I know she's like that because she had you. And it's clear she thinks the world of you. I saw how you were with her. You did a better job than your own father would have probably done. "

"You really think so?"

"Noah, one day I _know_ you are going to make a wonderful father" Kurt insisted.

"Kurt, I can't have kids anymore. Remember?"

"You can get the vasectomy undone" Kurt reminded his friend. "One day… when you meet the right woman, you can have children. And you're going to be a _wonderful father._" Kurt insisted. "I've seen how you are with Sarah. I know that when Beth was born, if Quinn decided to keep her, you would have given up your entire life just to make sure Beth was taken care of. So I know I'm right."

After a long moment of silence Noah finally spoke.

"I don't know why, you believe in me so much."

"_Or why you make me feel... so much" Noah said to himself._

"Because Noah, I can see the real you" Kurt winked which earned him a smile from the half back. "Now help me clean all this up. I have a lot of baking to do."

Noah helped him clear everything away and threw out the wine bottle so Burt wouldn't find it.

"Not so fast" Kurt said as Noah was about to go downstairs.

"What's up?"

"Its time you had your first cooking lesson" Kurt announced proudly.

"No way Angel Face. Puckzilla don't cook" Noah insisted.

"I'm not teaching Puckzilla. I'm teaching Noah" Kurt said directly in front of his friend. "Now come on, your not bullshitting your way out of this."

"Oh I love it when you're forceful Angel Face" Noah joked.

"I bet you do" Kurt replied coyly.

Kurt began instructing the half back on what to do and began making the cake for Sam's birthday. Kurt watched Noah carefully to make sure to stop him if he was about to do something wrong. It took a while but Noah started getting the hang of it. Noah actually had fun and Kurt made everything seem so simple somehow. Even though the cake wasn't a simple recipe, Noah managed to not mess it up, which actually made the two laugh. Before the halfback knew it he and Kurt were spreading frosting on the huge cake they had made along with some cupcakes.

"I can't believe we did all this" Noah said as he looked at the finish product of their labor.

"I told you, you could do it" Kurt declared proudly as he dusted his hands off.

"You did most of it though" Noah replied.

"True but you helped me out with most of the work. And now that you've done that you know you can do it next time."

"I wouldn't mind doing it again if it meant you would make more of this frosting" Noah admitted as he picked up the bowl of frosting Kurt had made.

He wiped some of the frosting off the sides with his fingers and began to lick it, making obscene moaning noises.

"What the hell did you put in this?"

"I don't know why you like it so much. I was afraid it would lose its flavor after I added the food coloring" Kurt shook his head.

"Try it for yourself then" Noah said.

Noah walked right into Kurt's personal space with his index finger covered in a gob of frosting. Kurt looked Noah's finger as it was held up in front of his face. Grabbing Noah's wrist Kurt brought Noah's finger into his mouth, while keeping eye contact his friend. Noah could feel as Kurt began to suck on his finger. With the digit still in Kurt's mouth Kurt began to lick the frosting off, and moan softly. All the while he still kept his eyes locked with Noah's. Noah loved it all, if the look on his face was anything to go by. Sliding the finger out of his mouth, Kurt repeated the show with Noah's thumb, still not releasing Noah's wrist. When the soprano was done he began to lightly kiss the back of Noah's hand letting out louder moans as he went. Just when Noah looked like he couldn't take anymore Kurt slammed Noah's hand right back into Noah's own face.

"Kurt, you bastard!" Noah shouted as he shook the surprise out of his head.

"You are so easy!" Kurt laughed.

"Oh yeah" Noah said as he grabbed the bowl of frosting.

Noah grabbed the wooden spoon and smeared frosting all over the right side of Kurt's face.

"I just gave myself a facial last night!" Kurt yelled in indignation.

The jock laughed as Kurt grabbed a paper towel and began wiping the frosting off his face. Noah just laughed as he began licking the rest of the frosting off the spoon like it was a Popsicle. Kurt was not amused and Noah just offered him the bowl of left over frosting. Kurt snatched it from Noah's hands and before Noah could react, the soprano over turned it on Noah's head. The jock took the bowl off his head revealing a huge green frosting Mohawk, making Kurt laugh once again. But before he knew it Noah had tackled him to the ground and was tickling him. The two tussled all over the kitchen floor as neither one wanted to give in to the other. Their shenanigans were cut off however as Burt came into the kitchen. They both looked up, which was more difficult for Kurt since Noah had him in a headlock still.

"What are you two doing?"

The two just looked up at him before they both spoke in unison.

"Baking."

The pair just laughed as Burt looked at them both, not knowing if he should be concerned or not. Noah let Kurt go and they both helped each other up. The green frosting had gotten everywhere somehow and the sight just made two laugh even harder.

"Well it's nice to see both of you having fun" Burt said.

Kurt was about to reply until he spotted Carole and Finn both behind Burt. Carole was looking at them as if they were the cutest thing she had ever scene. Finn was looking at them his usual confused state.

"Don't worry, we'll clean it up" Noah declared.

Kurt just nodded his agreement and Burt said he would be in the living room showing Carole and Finn where the addition was going to be. Together Noah and Kurt cleaned up the mess they had made in the kitchen. His dad was still in the living room with Carole and Finn so they both went downstairs to wash up.

"You hit my nipple again" Noah hissed as he peeled off his shirt.

"Aw, does Puckzilla have a boo boo" Kurt teased.

"Maybe you should kiss it better," Noah teased right back.

One look at the mischievous glint in Kurt's eyes made him regret that statement. Kurt made as if he was to kiss Noah's left nipple. Only when he got close he poked it again.

"You jerk!" Noah hissed making Kurt laugh once more. "Do you have any idea how much the hurts man?"

"It's not my fault you got it pierced. I have no idea why you ever decided to get them pierced in the first place. And from what you tell me, you like it rough anyway" Kurt reminded him with a wink.

Kurt undressed while Noah gingerly checked his aching nipple.

"Piercing your nipples makes them more sensitive. It's what makes them so hot for most people when they have sex" Noah explained as he took off his pants.

"Isn't regular sex good enough for you? Do you really have to resort to mutilating yourself just for an extra thrill?"

"Most of the time it's good enough. But sometimes when I'm with a chick, like the other night, it helps to have them. If they don't know what they are doing and I like having more stimulation sometimes to keep things interesting."

"Noah can I… never mind" Kurt said as he finished taking of the rest of his cloths.

"What is it?" Noah asked, seeing the look on Kurt's face.

"It's none of my business" Kurt said quickly as he turned and left the closet.

"Come on Angel Face, you know you can ask me anything" Noah assured as he followed Kurt.

Kurt looked away, not really sure if he wanted to ask what he was about to. He looked back at Noah when he felt Noah's hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"Noah, don't you ever get lonely?" Kurt finally asked.

Noah was caught off guard by the question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you sleep around a lot, but don't you ever actually try to have a relationship with anyone. Don't you ever just want to be with one woman?"

Noah looked at Kurt for a moment not really knowing how to put his answer into words.

"Sometimes" Noah finally said. "When I wanted to be with Quinn, that was the closest I ever got to thinking I could just be with one woman. When she was lying about Finn being the father I tried to prove I could be what she needed. We weren't really together then so I was still fooling around with Santana. When she figured out I was sexting Santana while I was helping her babysit that was pretty much the end of any hope for us as couple" Noah said looking with a sad far away look in his eyes.

"Well, by now I know you know why Quinn ended any notion of being with you."

"I know, but even when I was with her, after a while we got fed up with each other. She was angry at me for getting her pregnant and I was angry at her for always trying to make me feel bad. Even after Beth was born and we forgave each other she still kept making me feel bad."

"And now?"

Noah once again went quiet until he found his voice again.

"Yeah, I do feel lonely" Noah admitted. "But besides Quinn no one ever made me want to be with just one chick. I dated Santana for a while but that was just a lot of hot sex. I've done almost every chick in school including almost all of the Cheerios and Santana was the only one that could even keep up with me in the sack. She was the only one who actually knew how to really satisfy me. Now that I'm not bothering with her anymore, I still get off with other chicks, but afterwards I don't feel like staying around either. There doesn't seem to be any woman capable of getting me off and able to hold my attention for any longer after that. What about you?"

"All the time" Kurt admitted. "But it's different for me than it is for you. I mean it's not…" Kurt trailed off.

"It's ok Kurt, you don't have to talk about it" Noah sad quickly.

"No, it's just. For me… I always have to see everyone else coupling up. With Artie and Brittany, or Mike and Tina, or Sam and Quinn, or even Finn and Rachel. I have to look at them all the time and be reminded of what I'll never have. All the stuff they just take for granted, because _they _are normal. They get to… hold hands and walk down the hall together. If I ever did that with another guy I'd get killed. Not that there any guys for me to hold hands with me anyway."

Kurt looked away feeling tears begin run down his cheek at the admission. Noah reached up and brushed Kurt's tears away.

"Don't cry, Kurt. I'd never let those assholes hurt you. If you ever found a guy I'd have your back."

"Thanks Noah, I appreciate it. But, there is no guy for me here in Lima. I was the only one brave enough to even come out. I'm never going to walk down the halls, holding hands with a guy a like. I'm not going to slow dance at our senior prom. Hell, I'm not even going to go to the prom at all."

Kurt kept crying for a little while and Noah wrapped his arms around the small mans body, holding him tightly to his own.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to deal with my problems" Kurt said as he looked up from Noah's chest and into the jock's face.

"Hey, you've been putting up with me and all my problems since you sprung me from juvie. The least I can do is do the same for you. I meant it when I said you're my boy now Kurt."

"Thank you Noah" said Kurt as he tried to regain some composure.

"Besides, do you really think I'd hold just anyone like this? I'm the badass of Lima and here I am in my boxers holding another dude in his boxer briefs" Noah joked, actually making Kurt giggle.

The sight made Noah smile and that strange feeling began coursing through him once more. He almost moaned in disappointment as Kurt broke away from his hold.

"Come on. We have to shower and get all this frosting off" Kurt declared as he gestured to himself.

They were both still covered in the left over frosting Kurt had made. Although Noah had it worse since it was all still mostly in his Mohawk.

"OK, but can we… still talk about stuff?"

"Sure" Kurt said. "You go shower up first since I still have to give myself another facial to make sure all this sugar doesn't make my skin break out."

Noah just rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom. Kurt went to the vanity table and began cleaning his skin. As he was applying a face mask he heard his door open. In the reflection in the mirror he saw Finn coming down the stairs. For a moment he almost got up and ran for his closet to grab something to wear since he was still in nothing but his underwear. However, living with Noah had taken away some of his sensitivity. If Finn was going to share a room with them he was going to have to get used to it. Noah rarely liked to wear clothes once he was home, and Kurt wasn't so shy anymore about his body.

"Uh, my mom and I are done so I just wanted to say goodnight before we leave" Finn said looking very uncomfortable.

"Goodnight Finn" Kurt stated simply, as he continued applying his face mask.

"Uh, you were baking stuff for Sam's birthday?" Finn declared more than asked.

"Yeah."

"Rachel said she was going to bake some stuff too."

"Uh huh."

"She said she was going to make some cookies and stuff."

"Finn, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I doubt you really came down here to discuss baking. So what is it?"

Kurt let out a deep breath as Finn adopted a look that said he had just been slapped across the face. In the past Kurt would feel bad for making Finn feel bad. That wasn't the case anymore.

"About yesterday-"

"Finn, like I said, just put it out of your mind. It doesn't matter."

"How can you just brush something like this off Kurt?" Finn asked clearly upset.

"Why are _you _so upset about this for? It's not like you haven't seen or heard people making fun of me before. Hell a bunch of the times you and Puck were leading the charge. Freshmen year, on the first week of school you threw pee balloons at me along with bunch of the football team. And even today you still hear everyone calling me names or worse. So why are you the one getting upset over this? It's not you they're targeting."

"I said I was sorry, Kurt. Why are you so mad at me?"

"Finn, look at me, I'm not angry" Kurt said calmly, as he finally turned to face Finn directly, which was odd since he still had the face mask on.

"Then why are you giving me such a hard time about this? About everything?"

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time Finn. I'm only being honest with you. During all of this, since we got back from summer vacation have I said anything to you that wasn't true?"

Finn hung his head in defeat.

"Why can't we just be friends?"

"Is that what all of this really about?" Kurt asked.

"Kurt, my mom and I are moving in again Saturday. The way things are going, your dad is probably going to marry my mom. We're going to be a family. And I don't get why you hate me so much."

Kurt ran his hands through his hair, regretting it as bits of frosting now coated his hands.

"Finn you really don't understand me at all. _I don't hate you_" Kurt stressed.

"_At most I've come to just pity you" Kurt thought to himself._

"But then why-"

"Finn" Carole's called out from upstairs.

"I… gotta go."

"Goodnight Finn."

"Bye Kurt" Finn sighed and went back upstairs.

Kurt sat back down and continued with his facial. He didn't know what was up with Finn. For him to go out of his way to show any kind of concern for the soprano was odd in it of itself. Not that Finn was an innately bad guy or anything. Kurt just didn't understand what his problem was at the moment. Kurt hadn't said anything mean or gone out of his way to insult him since they both called it truce. So Kurt didn't understand what Finn's problem was. Finn should just leave well enough alone. The soprano just tried to forget about it and Noah came out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

"You look like Swamp Thing" Noah laughed as he saw Kurt's face, which still had the facial mask over it.

"Ha ha," Kurt replied.

Noah went into the closet and came back out wearing a fresh pair of boxers.

"Do you want to play a game or something?" Puck asked.

"Sure, what do you feel like playing?"

"Well, we already played all my games on the 360. And you don't have any games for the PS3. So what do you think?"

Kurt stood up and turned to face his friend.

"Well, how about some board games? We can play some chess" Kurt suggested.

"I never played chess before. I'm more of a checkers kind of guy."

"We got checkers too. Just ask my dad upstairs for the game. He'll show you were it is."

Noah went upstairs and Kurt went to take a shower. By the time he had come out Noah had already set the game up on the coffee table. Kurt went to the closet and got himself a fresh pair underwear for himself and joined Noah for a game. They both just played a while, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence until Noah finally spoke.

"I never thought it bothered you so much. After all times I threw you in the dumpsters you still kept walking by all of us as if you owned the place."

"I wasn't going to give anybody the satisfaction. The way I saw it you would all have made fun of me even more" Kurt replied as he moved a piece on the board.

"We probably would have" Noah admitted glumly.

"In the end though I guess it shouldn't matter. Even if I manage to get out of Lima, there are still plenty of people out there who are going to hate me solely for me sexual preference."

"Kurt… I wish I can take it all back. But I can't."

"It's ok Noah. I told you, I forgive you. You've grown out of it, and become a better person. That's all that matters to me in the end" Kurt assured.

"Kurt you are too nice. Luckily now Puckzilla's got your back" Noah proclaimed proudly as he flexed his muscles.

Kurt laughed at the display and moved another piece on the bored.

"Can I ask you something?" as he moved one of his own pieces.

"Shoot."

"Don't you ever get horny?"

Kurt balked at question and Noah chuckled at the look on his friends face.

"Why would you want to know that?" Kurt finally spoke.

"Well, you said it yourself, you're a man, and a man has needs. I can score with any chick I want whenever I want. But, like you said, you don't have anyone to score with. But then you said you can do all that stuff. So it doesn't make sense to me."

"In answer to your question, yes I do" Kurt admitted.

"I get horny all the time. Like today after I got done rehearsing with Tina. This chick was walking down the hall wearing this little mini skirt. She bent over and I saw she was wearing this red little thong. My dick started getting hard right there."

"I didn't need the visual annotation Noah" Kurt chided his friend.

"Why are you such a prude about it?" Noah asked. "I mean one second you say you can do all this stuff, the next you don't even like talking about it."

"Just because I taught myself how to do certain things doesn't mean I am going to brag about it" Kurt explained.

"OK, but you're still a dude. You can't tell me you never want to get off. Hell sometimes if I don't have time to get a chick or whatever I at least jerk off to take the edge off," Noah pressed. "You can't tell me you don't at least do that."

"I can't believe we are even having this discussion. Out of all the things Noah Puckerman would want to know about me, he's actually asking me about my sexual habits."

"Oh come on Kurt, all guys talk about this stuff. You should hear the guys in the locker room."

"I'd rather not hear them" Kurt said. "I imagine it's like a bunch of Neanderthals trying to decide who the leader of the tribe is by measuring all their penises to see who has the biggest one."

"Well, I'd definitely be the winner then" Noah proclaimed proudly.

Kurt just laughed and smacked his friend with a sofa cushion. Noah laughed well naturedly and responded in kind. The two continued to talk almost the entire night away. Both asking each other things. Some trivial others incredibly personal. But they both answered honestly with barely any hesitation.

-Wednesday-

It seemed that Mike wasn't the only one who had chosen to perform for Sam. On their way to school Noah filled Kurt in. He apparently thought of a funny song all of the work out guys could sing to Sam. Kurt looked at the lyrics and Kurt pointed out how none of them even matched Sam since he was not that old. Noah just said it was all for fun and the rest of the guys had agreed to join in. The soprano let Noah in on Mike's own idea for a dance number. Noah said he couldn't wait to see it and Kurt agreed.

The work out went well and no one let on about Sam's birthday party. As soon as it was over, Kurt and Matt went to meet up with Mercedes to practice. The Cheerios proved their skills as they skilled fully mastered all of the choreography. The trio couldn't wait for Friday night. When it was time for Quinn's turn with the Cheerios, Kurt made sure that everything was on schedule, which it was. Quinn also thanked him once again for his help in planning things out for Sam. Kurt told her it was nothing since Sam was a great guy and a good friend.

Classes seemed to go on even slower than usual. The moment the bell rang he jumped out of his seat and left the class room. He was going to meet up with Rachel to set up the choir room when Karofsky shoved him down the stairs and called him 'homo'. Everyone in the hall had a good laugh at the soprano's expense. Ignoring them all, Kurt just picked himself off the floor and continued on his way. Rachel was already there setting up some cookies and brownies she had baked.

Kurt had already sent Noah to get the birthday cake and the cupcakes. Along with the gift Kurt had made. Mike and Matt had gone to get drinks and Mr. Shue went to get the band together along with Finn. Thankfully there was enough food for the band also. While they played the music for the glee club they rarely interacted at all with them and Kurt liked the idea that maybe this might break that ice also. Quinn was keeping Sam busy until they were ready and everyone else was just hanging out until things began. Kurt was grateful that he wasn't the only one who had gotten him a gift since there where a few set on a table beside the cake. Once everyone was in the choir room Kurt sent a text to Quinn signaling they were ready. A few minutes later the couple walked through the door and everyone shouted:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Sam almost jumped in surprise as he walked through the door and Noah began the song he had chosen.

_Noah:_

_Grab the chair, boys! We've got another bucket kicker!_

All the guys in the room grabbed Sam and put him down in a chair in the center of the room and then began to sing along.

_All the guys:_

_Happy Birthday my olde friend._

_It seems this horror show will never end._

_Any moment's your last breath,_

_Here is to another day closer to death._

Kurt and Matt grabbed the cake and held it up in front of the blonde. The cake was made into the shape of a huge four leaf clover with an emerald green frosting and a large candle lit set in the center.

_Artie:_

_The cake is on the table,_

_And it is awfully bright,_

_'Cause there's so many candles on top._

_But you are so decrepit,_

_Your chest so tight,_

_When you blow them out your lungs are gonna pop._

_Noah:_

_You cannot complain_

_Each time you feel a pain,_

_Though you have arthritis and gout._

_'Cause when you start kvetching,_

_All your teeth fall out._

_All the Guys:_

_So have another cigarette,_

_Have another beer,_

_Raise your glass to one more year. (GONE!)_

_Happy Birthday my olde friend._

_It seems this horror show will never end._

_Any moment's your last breath,_

_Here is to another day closer to death._

Sam along with everyone else not singing was laughing. Kurt thought the song was a bit morbid but everyone seemed to be having fun with it.

_Noah:_

_Your skin is so worn out and old,_

_All over your body it's sagging._

_Especially loose is your old caboose,_

_You're dragging it behind you in a wagon._

_Artie:_

_Well, you're an alcoholic,_

_And you're blind and deaf,_

_And you have Alzheimer's I bet._

_You're too old to remember,_

_But you're too drunk to forget._

_All the Guys:_

_So have another cigarette,_

_Have another beer,_

_Raise your glass to one more year. (GONE!)_

_Happy Birthday my olde friend._

_It seems this horror show will never end._

_Any moment's your last breath,_

_Here is to another day closer to death._

_Noah:_

_You're so old you smell like dust,_

_And now your bones begin to rust._

_See that face, it's full of wrinkles._

_All the Guys:_

_So have another cigarette,_

_Have another beer,_

_Raise your glass to one more year. (RAISE!)_

_Happy Birthday my olde friend._

_It seems this horror show will never end._

_Any moment's your last breath,_

_Here is to another day closer to_

_Your!_

_Sweet!_

_Death!_

The song ended and everyone cheered. The guys all clapped Sam on the back wishing him happy birthday.

"Guys that was awesome thanks" Sam said.

"Hey, any excuse for Noah to party" Kurt said.

"Damn straight" Artie laughed giving Noah a high five.

"Come on Sam it's time for you to blow out the candle and make a wish" Quinn declared.

Sam blew out the candle and everyone clapped.

"So what did you wish for?" Quinn asked with a big smile looking right into Sam's eyes.

"No Sam, you can't tell anyone what you wished for or it wont come true" Brittany reminded.

"She's right Quinn, I have to keep it a secret," Sam agreed with wink.

Sam cut the cake and everyone took a piece. Noah immediately devoured his piece and went back for more. For a while everyone just dug and talked amongst themselves.

"This cake wonderful is Kurt" Rachel complimented. "What's in this?"

"Oh, its hazelnut cake with strawberry filling. Since Sam is Irish I got the idea of shaping the cake like a four leaf clover. I added a lot of food coloring to the butter cream frosting to get it green. I used the same basic recipe for the cup cakes except they all have different filling in them instead just strawberry."

"I can't believe you baked all this yourself," Rachel stated as she took a bite out of a cup cake.

"Well actually I got Noah to help me. Together we got it done a lot quicker" Kurt informed.

"You and Puck?" Rachel stammered incredulously.

"Yes," Kurt shrugged as he took a bite out of his own piece of cake.

He really didn't have much to say to Rachel at the moment. Ever since Monday he had caught her trying to follow him to discover where they were practicing or what they were performing. Not to mention the look she was giving him and Noah didn't sit well with him at the moment.

"I never pictured Puck actually baking anything" Rachel suspiciously looked at Noah on the other side of the room and then at Kurt.

"There's more to Noah than most people know," Kurt told Rachel.

Rachel looked at Kurt as if he had grown a second head. Not really caring Kurt just went over to Sam and Artie.

"I can play it and you can sing" Sam told Artie. "My uncle got me my own guitar for my birthday. I'd love to try it out."

"Sing what?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I had another song for the color assignment and Sam thought I should sing it" Artie answered.

"I got a new guitar and it sounds like a good time to break it in" Sam supplied.

"OK if you want to try it out" Artie agreed.

Sam got his new guitar and Artie told the band what song to play. Everyone watched as Artie started to sing

_Saw you looking for a light_

_Face painted cigarette white_

_You asked the cleanest boy you found_

_You couldn't see me turned around_

_His fingers stretched across your empty gaze_

_That I just can't escape_

_As the red fades from your wrinkled dress_

_A picture of the people you've impressed_

_Hangs on a wall around here_

_Vision starts to crawl when I'm near_

_And the evening waits _

_While you get caught up to your own mistakes_

_Made up different lines_

_I wouldn't wanna keep in my mind_

Like before when he sang Artie's voice was full sorrow. Sam kept in step with him the whole time. Kurt looked over at Tina and saw her looking more and more uncomfortable.

_I wondered why you'd come around_

_Remembering your little girl frown_

_Your answers kept the crowd at bay_

_With compliments unwilling to pay_

_I had some things I'd like to say to you_

_But they just can't be true_

_As the red fades from your wrinkled dress_

_A picture of the people you've impressed_

_Hangs on a wall around here_

_Vision starts to crawl when I'm near_

_And the evening waits _

_While you get caught up to your own mistakes_

_Made up different lines_

_I wouldn't wanna keep in my mind_

The room was filled with applause as Artie finished.

"That was a great Artie" Mr. Shue said.

"Yeah Artie that was awesome" Finn agreed.

"Thanks guys."

"Hey Kurt, how about we do that number?" Mike asked as he walked up to Kurt.

Tina looked even more uncomfortable and Kurt felt like kicking himself.

"What number?" Sam asked out of the loop of what was going on.

"Well, I was thinking about what to get you for your birthday but I couldn't think of anything. But then I got this idea when Kurt and I did gymnastics. So I came up with dance number and Kurt agreed to sing the song," Mike explained.

"You guys didn't have to go through all that trouble. I wasn't even expecting all of this" Sam said.

"It's no trouble Sam. You're one of us now, and you've done a lot to help us out," Artie chimed in.

"Yeah Sam" Kurt agreed.

"So come on, sit down and let's get the show started" Mike grin.

Mike got everyone's attention and everyone cleared the floor and pushed all the chairs out of the way. Kurt stood beside the band since even though he was singing this wasn't really his number. Tina stood to one side of the room and Mike at the opposite facing each other. Kurt nodded to the bad and they began to play. The music was soft as the sound of the flute filled the room. Mike and Tina bowed to each other and then began to dance as Kurt sang.

(Authors Note: Kurt shall be singing in Italian, the translation of the song shall be below each line.)

_Il dolce suono_

_(The sweet sound)_

_Mi colpi di sua voce!...Ah, quella voce_

_(Of his voice I hear!...Ah, that voice)_

The pair danced toward each other slowly in a classical ballet style meeting in the center of the room. Their movements slow and achingly graceful. They dance together taking their cues from the music. Tina spun and plie which was followed with Mike lifting her up into the air in an assisted jump.

_M'é qui nel cor discesa!..._

_(It's deeply embedded in my heart!...)_

_Edgardo! lo ti son resa,_

_(Edgar! I'm yours again,)_

_Edgardo! __Ah! Edgardo mio!_

_(Edgar! Ah! __My Edgar!)_

As he sang, Kurt couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the pair. Their dancing was incredible and Kurt hoped some day with a lot of work he could dance half as well as they already do. Everyone was transfixed by the dancing display and Sam smiled over at Kurt as he recognized where the song as from. But Kurt could only smile back slightly as he saw the sad far away look on Artie's face. Kurt knew Artie loved Brittany there was no doubt of that. Yet, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Artie was still hurting from Tina's dismissal. The soprano wanted to help but he had already caused enough trouble with his meddling and was afraid of what he might unleash.

_Si, ti son resa!_

_(Yes, I'm yours again!)_

_Fuggita io son da' toui nemici...nemici_

_(I've escaped from your enemies...enemies)_

_Un gelo mi serpeggia nel sen!_

_(There's a chill in my bosom!)_

Rachel looked at Kurt over by the band and her head was spinning. The notes Kurt was hitting were supposed to be beyond his range and yet his voice never wavered. Like the rest of the room she had no idea what Kurt was sing since it was all in Italian. But you didn't have to know the language to enjoy Italian opera, or more importantly to understand the notes. She had not forgotten how Kurt had challenged her the year before in the diva off. Rachel was certain she would lose due to Kurt being more liked in the club than she was. But her worry turned to relief as Kurt couldn't keep up with her. However, Kurt's voice now was the epitome of perfection and control. What's more was that Kurt seemed to completely composed and at ease as if the song posed no challenge at all. Ever since the duet they sang together Kurt seemed completely different and even his singing voice was now different as he hit both high and low vocal notes perfectly. Notes even she had to begrudgingly admit to have difficulty with.

_Trema ogni fibra!... Vacilla il pié!_

_(Every fibre trembles!...My foot's unsteady!)_

_Presso la fonte meco t'assidi alquanto..._

_(Sit with me near the fountain...)_

_Si, presso la fonte meco t'assidi_

_(Yes, sit with me near the fountain)_

Tina and Mike now stood side by side spinning in sync in a fouette jete maneuver, spinning slower as the music died away. The music slowly faded out and just as the glee club was about to applaud the band began to play loudly. The music crashed through the room making them all jump in surprise. The music suddenly took a complete 180 turn and became loud and fast paced. Kurt began sing out loudly, not in lyrics but notes in a fast pace along with the music.

The Asian pair moved along with the music and were now mixing dance styles together. It looked as if they were in battle with each other, with each one forcing one another move almost violently with the other. Mike lifted and tried pulled Tina towards him as Tina stepped and pulled away. As the song drew to a close Mike finally pulled Tina to him and dipped her suddenly as the song ended with a loud bang. The choir room went insane as even the band cheered.

"Oh my god!" Sam exclaimed. "That was awesome!"

"Happy Birthday Sam" Mike said as he received a high five from Sam.

Sam gave Tina a hug and Kurt jumped in shock was he felt someone ruffle his hair. He turned and smacked Noah's hand away.

"Nice singing Angel Face. I thought you told me last night all of your oral skills" Noah said whispered wickedly.

"A man has to keep some secrets doesn't he?" Kurt whispered back with a wicked smile of his own.

The two bantered together blocking out the rest of the room. Finn looked at the pair as they stood in the corner behind the bands instruments and couldn't help but feel strange at the sight. He was angry at Noah for what he had done as well as Kurt for making him feel like dirt. Yet on the other hand for some reason he felt left out. Now he was going to be living with both of them and he didn't know if he could handle it. Kurt said he didn't hate him, but he still didn't want to be friends.

The pair was brought out of whatever they were talking about as Mercedes called them over since it was time for Sam to open his presents. Sam wasn't expecting a party let alone presents so he was a little uneasy about the prospects of receiving gifts. But he was happy everyone had gone through all of the trouble just for him. Brittany gave him her present first which turned out to be a big plush toy of Aladdin. Sam thanked her and gave her big hug. Tina gave Sam a gift card to Hot Topic, and Mercedes gave him a few BB King CD's. Matt gave the blonde a DVD of the greatest moments in football history, and Santana surprised everyone when she gave Sam a gift card to 'Pegasus". It was a popular sporting good and exercise equipment store in the mall. Finn gave Sam some comic books and Sam laughed as he opened Artie's gift, which turned out to be a sonic screw driver just like from the 'Doctor Who' show. Noah gave him a new football jersey and Rachel gave Sam a DVD recording of their performances last year at sectionals and regionals with her autograph on them.

Kurt felt a little nervous as Sam began to open the last gift on the table which was the one he had made for his new friend. Sam's eyes grew wide as he pulled out the article of clothing. Kurt had gotten him an amazing hoodie sweatshirt. It was a striking deep emerald green with black Celtic knots sewn all along the sleeves. In the front over the heart, was a design of a horse also done in Celtic knots. On the back there was a huge Celtic knot design. This one was of an oak tree. It covered the entire top half of the sweatshirt in a huge circle.

"Kurt… wow" Sam breathed out. "Where did you get this?"

"Just check" Kurt smirked and gestured to the hoodie.

Sam looked where the tag would be and found a strange insignia made out of the letters K and H and the word 'Fashions'. After a moment it struck Sam where the article of clothing came from.

"You made this!"

Everyone turn to look at Kurt who just nodded, a bit uncomfortable with the attention.

"How did you know what the symbols meant?" Sam asked.

"I looked up Celtic art work and symbols along with their meaning," Kurt explained. "After that I picked out the symbols I thought suited you best. The horse means, honor and strength, while the oak tree means loyalty, heritage, and nobility. I just hope it fits since I had to estimate your size."

Sam tried it on and zipped it up. It fit perfectly and looked amazing on the blonde.

"Kurt, thank you so much. But you didn't really have to go through all that trouble" Sam said.

"It was no trouble Sam. Besides I had to make something to match the sketch" Kurt smiled and pointed to the gift box.

Sam looked confused but looked back in the box. He moved aside the tissue wrapping paper in the box only to see the second part of Kurt's gift. He lifted out the simple black frame and looked at picture inside. Kurt had drawn Sam, wearing the hoodie he had made standing on a pier looking at Quinn. Quinn was looking at Sam but instead of her Cheerios uniform she was wearing a pair form fitting jeans. With them she wore small plain red hoodie sweatshirt of her own and a white tank top that showed off her midriff. A light snow was falling and her golden blonde hair was dancing in the breeze as it was loose from her usual pony tail. The pair was looking at each other lovingly and holding hands. In the water there was a small paper boat sinking slowly below the surface. Behind them past the pier was a large sewer opening where Kurt wrote a short poem. Sam asked Quinn what it said since he couldn't read cursive very well. Quinn took the picture in her hands and looked at for herself for a few moments before she began to read aloud.

_You and me, we used to talk_

_Like a river underground, the sewer_

_Where we used to walk._

_The hole at the end empties out to a pier_

_Where paper boats disappear._

_Me, I try to send this note,_

_Float it like a paper boat,_

_But paper sinks and words are weak._

_I try but I don't speak._

_Join together in the silent snow;_

_Turn our faces up to see,_

_Not endless night but day,_

_A Pier,_

_And you and me, talking._

Quinn and Sam looked over at Kurt who just shrugged at the couple. Everyone took a turn looking at the sketch as they all passed it along. Sam gave Kurt a brotherly hug which made Finn feel even more miserable.

"How come you haven't made clothes for my birthday before?" Mercedes joked.

"Because you usually turn your nose up at my design ideas" Kurt quipped back.

"Don't start hatin' just cause a sista wants some flava in her style."

"Well if you want, I'll make you something special for Christmas" Kurt offered. "Just promise me you'll come to me when you need a dress for your first Grammy Award."

"Deal!" Mercedes hugged Kurt.

Out of the corner of Kurt's eye he saw Artie leave the room looking rather dejected. A moment later Tina followed him.

-scene change-

"Artie, hold on a sec" Tina called out.

Artie stopped in his wheelchair but he didn't turn to face the Asian Girl. She walked up to him slowly, not really knowing how to talk him anymore. Tina looked at him, his neutral expression making it impossible to gauge his feelings. Artie had always been quiet about what he felt and was always on guard, even in glee. But he had let in Tina through all his defenses last year and had started to express himself more. Now it seemed liked he had put all his walls back in place.

"Artie" Tina began slowly. "I just want to talk. Clear the air between us."

"Say whatever you want" Artie shrugged.

"Artie, I just…" Tina drifted off as she looked in Artie's eyes.

Tina felt a wave of guilt as Artie looked at her and words didn't seem like enough to express what she felt. After another moment of silence with Tina just staring at him, Artie looked away and began wheeling himself down the hall again.

"Wait!"

"Tina, I have to go to the bathroom, and your not even saying anything. So leave me alone" Artie began wheeling himself down the hall again.

"I'm sorry!" Tina called out making Artie stop in his tracks.

Tina walked back to Artie, facing him once more.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall for Mike this summer, but I did. Why can't you accept that?"

Tina saw the look spreading across Artie's face and didn't like what she saw.

"Tina, I have accepted that. This isn't about me getting over you anymore. I'm with Brittany now, and she… she's amazing."

"Then why are you so mad at me? Every time you see Mike and me together you become a statue. You won't even talk to me anymore."

"I don't have a problem with Mike. My problem is with you Tina!"

Tina flinched at Artie's cold tone. She had never seen him so angry before.

"Tina, do you have any idea of how I felt about you?"

She just shook her head, not able to talk once more.

"Last year, when you admitted that your stutter was fake, I told you that me being in this chair pushes people away from me. Then, when we finally got together you… it was like a dream come true."

"Artie, I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same anymore" Tina finally spoke.

"And I understand that Tina. Because now I'm honestly _completely_ over you. My only remaining problem is the way you treated me."

"I don't understand."

"This summer, anytime I tried doing anything with you, you were always complaining about it like it wasn't good enough. Like _I _wasn't good enough. Then you left for Asian camp and you never even called me or contacted me or answered my phone calls or messages. As soon as we got back to school and I finally see you, you tell me you're dumping me for Mike. You tell me how I'm a horrible boyfriend and how you and Mike are both into his abs. You cheated on me all summer and somehow you blamed me for it all! Then when Mike was too nervous to sing for the duet competition you tried to use me to get what you wanted!"

"Artie I'm sorry-"

"No Tina, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not some big muscular jock. I'm sorry I wasn't good looking enough to keep you interested. I'm sorry that I was insecure enough to let you treat me like crap. And I'm sorry that because of you, there is now a small part of me that's waiting for Brittany to wake up and realize I'm not good enough for her and dump me for some other guy, or hook up again with Santana again."

Artie ignored the tears that Tina was crying and began wheeling himself away from her once more.

"Artie!"

Artie stopped once more but he didn't turn to face Tina.

"I'm sorry. I really am. Can't we just start over? Cant we just try to be friends again?"

Artie stayed silent for a long time until he finally spoke.

"Maybe… maybe someday" he spoke softly and continued on his way down the hall.

-Scene Change-

The party had wrapped up and everyone went there separate ways. Quinn had thanked Kurt privately for all his help and asked him about the drawing he had given Sam. Kurt said it was something thing he thought of while he saw them sing their colors duet together. This of course wasn't true since he had finished the drawing well before the duet. Clean up was easy since between the glee club and all of the band members they had finished off all of the food. Mr. Shue looked like he wanted to talk Kurt but the soprano left before the teacher got the chance.

Noah had to leave for his community service so Kurt had to ask Mercedes again for a ride. He was getting paid Friday and he asked her if she wanted to go to the mall next Saturday for a long over due day of shopping. She excitedly agreed and they discussed what stores they wanted to visit. The two friends said their goodbyes as they reached the garage. Kurt put on his coveralls and just went to work.

He pulled out his mp3 player as he worked and ignored the sight of Finn and his father working on a car nearby. His entire time at the garage he hadn't spoken a single word. So used to the job, Kurt did everything he had to do without any assistance and without even having to be told. If it was one thing both his mother and father had taught him in both of their lessons to their son was to focus on his work. He could stay focused on a single task for however long it took him to finish without complaint by the time he was seven years old. And as soon as he was done, he left the garage like a bat out of hell.

His father and Finn were still working on things together and the less he saw of the pair bonding the better. The last thing Kurt needed these days was to see how much better Finn got along with Burt than he did. As soon as he got home he finished all his school work and then began dinner. He looked at the clock and realized that Sam and Quinn must be at the monster truck show by now. Even though people never thought something like that would be something he would enjoy, he actually did. He loved almost anything to do with cars and motorcycles. Last year before he joined glee he and his dad went to an auto show and saw some amazing custom made hot rods.

They talked for hours arguing over which models and makes were better. They had never got to build the car that his father dreamed of but at the auto show his dad asked if he wanted to give it a try. Kurt immediately thought it would be a great idea and said as much. Sadly enough they never got the chance to try. His father got super busy at the garage and Kurt was dealing with school. Then Kurt joined glee and the rest was history.

"Hey son" Burt said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey dad" Kurt replied as he shook his head a bit to clear his mind.

"You ok?"

"Yeah dad, I'm just tired. I had a busy day."

"We haven't had much of a chance to talk lately" Burt sat down at the counter.

"We've both been busy."

"Kurt, are you ok with Carole and Finn moving back in here to live with us?"

"_It's kind of late to ask" Kurt scoffed inwardly._

"What's wrong dad? I thought you were excited about the whole thing."

"I am, but after Finn left with Carole last night he seemed kinda down. Is something going on I should know?"

"Nothing dad. Just the usual teenage ridden angst crap. Finn is just trying to figure some things out, that's all" Kurt shrugged and began setting the table.

"What is he trying to figure out?" Burt pressed.

"I don't know dad, and it's none of my business anyway. I'm busy enough with my own teenage drama."

Burt just looked at his son, unsure of what to think. Kurt was always the type of person to jump in and help a friend in need, just like his mother. Kurt brushing Finn off so easily wasn't like him at all.

-Scene Change-

Finn's stomach was clenching as he sat on the couch in Santana's living room. He had been avoiding her since Friday but they now had only two nights to come up with a music number for the assembly. The two had met during their appointed time in the auditorium, but with Santana's constant innuendos and flirting they had gotten nothing done. She had told him to come to her place to finally pick a song to sing after Sam's birthday party. His mind was so preoccupied that he just agreed without objection.

Now he was sitting on the sofa of Santana's living room regretting his decision. When he asked her where her parents were the Latina said they were out for the night. She practically pushed him onto the sofa and gave him a sexy smile he recognized all too well. She said she had the perfect song for them to perform and would be right back with it. That was ten minutes ago and every part of Finn was telling him to get up and run out of the house. About to do just that, Santana came back into the living room.

The Latina had taken off her ever present Cheerios uniform and was now wearing a very tight and revealing red dress. Her hair was out of its pony tail and tied into an elegant braid. She said nothing as she sat a stereo down on the coffee table and turned to look at Finn.

"What's wrong Frankenteen?" she smirked at the quarterback.

"Nothing… it's just that, I don't think this is a good idea. I think I should go" Finn stammered out and began to stand up.

He was pushed back down by Santana and flopped down on the couch gracelessly.

"Chill out already. Besides, I know exactly what you and I need" Santana turned around and hit play and she began to sing and dance to the music.

_Don't tell me that you don't like_

_Anything about me_

_I've seen it in your eyes_

_That look, you think that I don't notice_

_Don't hide what you feel inside_

_Baby, I can feel the same_

_What you do is up to you_

_So maybe you should try again_

_Or maybe you just fade away, yeah_

Santana's smooth voice and sexy dancing made Finn's heart race. It was all just too much and he could feel himself getting hard. Santana just smiled seductively as she knew the effect she was having on the jock. Just as the song reached the chorus she undid the strap on her dress letting it fall to the floor. She now stood had nothing on except a pair of red lace panties and matching bra that left nothing to the imagination.

_Betcha never, betcha never_

_Betcha never thought we'd get this far_

_Betcha never, never ever_

_betcha never thought you'd touch my heart_

_Betcha never, betcha never_

_Betcha never thought that I'd surrender_

_Betcha never thought that you would ever get with me_

_I betcha never thought of that_

"Stop!" Finn finally yelled and pushed Santana away, knocking her down to the floor in heap. He turned off the music and turned towards the Latina who was now furious.

"What the hell is your problem?" Santana yelled as she got back on her feet.

"I'm not going to cheat on Rachel Santana! Why is this so hard for you to understand?"

"Understand? What I understand is that you need a serious coolness injection! Let's face it, Sam is clearly the new glee favorite and you're losing it. If you were honest last year about us doing it together you would have gone from uncool to chilly willy in a heart beat. Instead Kurt outed you in the cafeteria and made you even more of a joke."

"I don't care Santana! If I cheat on Rachel she'll break up with me!"

"And this would be bad because?" she asked sarcastically.

"Because I love her and I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Look, don't you see that that midget is like and anchor dragging you to the depth of Loserville!"

"Stop it Santana! She's my girlfriend. I'm leaving. You can do the number by yourself. If you want to be the star then go ahead. But you're going to have to do it without me!"

With that Finn left slamming the door behind him.

-Scene Change-

Noah walked the down the stairs looking for Kurt. Dinner had been fairly quiet and it was mostly himself and Burt that did all the talking. Burt had asked him how his community service was going and Kurt just stayed silent eating the food off his plate. Burt invited him to watch TV once the food was done and Kurt went to do the dishes. After a polite amount of time Noah said he was tired and excused himself from Burt's company.

From the bathroom he could hear Kurt singing and he stopped to listen.

_Took this love and I took it down_

_Climbed a mountain and I turned around_

_And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills_

_Till the landslide brought me down_

_Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?_

_Can the child within my heart rise above?_

_And can I sail through the changing ocean tides_

_Can I handle the seasons of my life?_

_Oh oh I don't know, oh I don't know_

_Well, I've been afraid of changing_

_'Cause I've built my life around you_

_But time makes you bolder_

_Children get older_

_I'm getting older too_

_Yes I'm getting older too_

Noah took off all his clothes as he listened to his friend in the shower. He wondered what could have happened to put him in a bad mode. When he had left Kurt to go to community service Kurt seemed fine. Now if his singing was anything to go by he was anything but.

"_Maybe I can cheer him up," Noah wondered._

Kurt came out of the bathroom already dressed in his sleeping clothes.

"Already tired Angel Face?"

"I feel like being comfortable" Kurt said as he went to his vanity table.

"So how come you never told me you could draw? That sketch you did of Sam and Quinn looked amazing."

"Well, it's because I don't really draw" Kurt stated as he turned to face Noah.

"That looked like drawing to me."

"Remember when I told you that my mother taught me how to sew?"

"Yeah."

"Well sometimes I like to think up personal alterations for the newest runway styles that come out. Or I like to design my own fashion ideas and even some costume designs for glee. So I sketch out clothing designs, but because I always put so much detail into the drawings I can easily draw people too. I thought it was a useful skill and I always figured if Broadway never works out I could get a career in the fashion industry. Maybe even start my own fashion line."

"Drawn any sketches of me?" Noah waggled his eyebrows.

"Wouldn't you like to know" Kurt scoffed.

"Aw come on Angel Face. It's not like you drew me naked, did you?"

"You wish Puck, you wish" Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Then show me" Noah crossed his arms.

Kurt looked at his friend and then got up. He went to his bag and pulled out a sketch pad. After he flipped through some pages he handed Noah the pad. The half back looked down at the pad taking in the sight presented to him. In the sketch he saw himself sitting on ground under the light of a street lamp. He was on the side of a desert road looking out down the road as it rained. The rain made it look as if he was crying and the half backs guitar sat in his lap.

_Perfect moments lost to me_

_Now and forever_

_In this road called life_

_But my tears have mixed with the rain in the sand_

_Now that I walk without you to hold my hand_

_You saw through all the lies that made up my disguise_

_You set me free and showed me what true love was meant to be_

_Then you flew away with the stars in the sky_

_And your eyes now always haunt my mind_

_So I walk this road called life_

_Searching now and forever_

_For the perfect moment_

After several moments Noah looked up at Kurt who was obviously afraid of his friends' reaction. Noah reached out and gently took Kurt's smaller hand into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It awesome."

"Thanks" Kurt said as he took the pad back from his friend.

"So what else did your mom teach you?"

"Well, I already told you most of it. She taught me how to cook, sew, play the piano, and sing. A year before she got sick she also started teaching me how to dance."

"You mean that ballet stuff?"

"No, she taught me ballroom dancing. You know, like the waltz and other things like that."

"Were you any good at it?"

"Not at first but I started getting it before she started showing symptoms of being sick. After she died I asked dad for dancing lessons."

"Can you show me?"

"What for? You dance with us in glee all the time."

"Yeah but we never really do any solid dancing. Finn slows us down all the time and Mr. Shue shows us choreography but we never do any real dancing."

Kurt agreed and went to look through his CD's for appropriate music. The basement was soon filled with classical ballroom music and Kurt began explaining the steps and dance frames. Unfortunetly, as they began to dance together they began to step on each others feet.

"Alright stop" Kurt said as he broke the dancing frame and stepped away from Noah. "Noah your not suppose to start on the one. You got to follow the steps."

"I would if you would let me lead" Noah complained. "I'm suppose to be guy. I'm bigger and stronger than you."

"No that's not…" Kurt stopped trying to think of a way to explain the dancing to Noah. "Noah, this isn't about you being bigger or stronger. And it's not about who the man is and who the woman is" Kurt said sternly. "Yes it is traditional for the man to lead but in modern times that's not always the case. A woman can lead just as easily as a man or in our case we are _both _men."

Kurt stopped the music and stood directly in front of Noah. Taking Noah's right hand in his and placing the other on his shoulder Kurt took his left hand and placed it on Noah's hip, taking the lead position.

"OK, now look at me Noah," Kurt instructed as he looked directly in Noah's eyes. "When two people dance its not about who leads or follows. It's not about one dominating the other. It's an equal partnership with both dancers doing their part to support one another. The lead sets the pace and the direction."

"I'm supposed to mindlessly follow you then" Noah groaned.

"No" Kurt ground out. "Noah its takes just as much strength to follow as it does to lead."

Kurt switched position, giving Noah the lead now.

"You see, to follow, it requires trust and confidence in your partner. But more importantly it takes trust and confidence in yourself. You have to know how far you can go, but you also need to be brave and trust that your partner will be there to catch you and support you. And you have to trust yourself to be able to do that. To be strong enough to trust someone and know they won't let you fall. Do you understand?"

"I guess" Noah shrugged.

"Alright, then let's try again. For now let me lead and I'll guide you."

Kurt put the music back on and began leading Noah. The pair moved slowly at first, and then picked up speed as they got the rhythm down. Once Kurt was sure Noah had the steps down he let Noah lead. They continued this way switching back forth as Kurt showed Noah more and more elaborate steps and moves.

-Thursday-

Tina seemed really down and not concentrating at all on their number. Noah didn't know what the hell was up with her and it seemed like everyone around him had a bad case of the blues or something. Last night Kurt was bummed out but he managed to cheer his friend up. Then this morning Artie never showed up for their morning workout and when he saw Artie in the halls he didn't even say hi. He spotted Rachel giving Kurt strange looks and try to follow him to his rehearsals. He cut her off and ran intermission for his friend and then Finn came along. Finn looked like someone just told him his puppy or something had cancer. Not really caring why, he took off only to hear them start yelling about something which he cared even less about. Then Santana was acting even more of a bitch than usual and was strutting down the hallway as if she was ready to kill.

He had almost asked Tina what was wrong but he figured it wasn't his problem. Although he wondered what was up with Artie since the guy didn't even seem like his cheerful self. But he told himself not to worry about it and go on with his day. Not to mention he wasn't into the whole share your feelings crap. Lately the only one he would even think about opening up to was Kurt. The dude really knew how to get into his head, even when he didn't want to say anything. And the guy didn't judge or try to force him to see things another way.

With Kurt, the guy actually listened and he didn't demand details unless necessary. The soprano also made it clear he didn't judge and didn't bother giving him some annoying lecture as if he somehow knew better than the half back. Maybe that was why he couldn't get Kurt out of his mind lately. It seemed like the more time he spent with Kurt the more he learned about the soprano, and the more Noah found he liked him.

When he had asked Kurt for specifics about his talents in the bedroom Kurt told him everything. At first it was clear Kurt was embarrassed to get so specific, especially with Noah of all people. But after a while they got talking and even Noah had to admit he found it all interesting. Noah shared some of his own experiences with Kurt and they had a lot of laughs. The more time he spent with Kurt the more he found Kurt had this weird of way getting under his skin. But not in a bad way.

Last night for example. Dancing with another dude was something he would never have done. But with Kurt it wasn't anything bad. In fact once they stopped stepping all over each other it was fun. He never thought he would have so much fun hanging out Kurt before he had moved in with guy. Maybe he was having so much with Kurt because in some ways, Kurt was totally badass. He didn't have the muscle to back it up, but what Kurt lacked in mass he made up for in attitude. Kurt had no problem getting back up in Noah's face and telling him off. Or even going on a walk on the wild side. At Guy-n-Dolls Kurt never lost his cool and acted like he had every right to be there. Finn was never able to do that.

And that was another problem; Finn. After the dancing Noah got Kurt to admit he was having some doubts about Finn sharing the basement with them. Or sharing a room with _Kurt_ to be specific. Noah sure as hell didn't get what Finn's problem was. According to Kurt, the year before Finn made it clear he didn't want to be in the same room as Kurt. To Noah that was just dumb. In all the time Noah had shared a room with Kurt, the guy never so much as tried to touch him or anything even remotely sexual.

In fact it took a while for Kurt to get comfortable with the idea of even being undressed around the half back. But as the weeks passed he had hugged and kissed Kurt, proving he didn't have a problem with Kurt being gay at all. Even after all that Kurt never tried to push things further or got out of line. Noah was always in his underwear around Kurt at home and still nothing ever happened. They were friends and Noah actually found himself liking the physical contact they now shared.

But last Saturday night he had seen the look on Finn's face when he saw Kurt sitting between Sam and him. Finn was a total hypocrite plain and simple. When they were kids he used to sleep over at Finn's place and even share his bed all the time. Hell, in fact he had seen Finn completely naked and vice versa a bunch of times. Like that time with Joanne at the bar or even in the locker room and in their own bedrooms when they were changing. So if Finn's problem was Kurt being gay he had better get over it.

Not wanting to think about it anymore Noah decided to get his mack on. Within moments he was in the janitors' closet with some random chick. As it was about to get heavy and the chick opened his fly, a loud yelling cut through the mood.

"Stay the hell away from Finn!"

Noah immediately heard a crowd start forming and knew he had to get out of his make out session before any of the faculty came. Opening the door he left the chick inside who was still fumbling with her top. In the middle of the hallway were Rachel, Finn and Santana.

"Oh please hobbit, like you would even know what to do with him" Santana scoffed.

"Finn is _my_ boyfriend, and you better back off!"

"Or what hobbit?"

"Or else I'll rip that weave off your head!"

"Get out of my face before I ends you!."

"You don't want to push me Santana!"

"Oh but you see, I sorta do. I'm from a part of town called Lima Heights Adjacent. You know where that is bitch? It's on the wrong side of the tracks," Santana pushed Rachel against the lockers.

Rachel responded with a hard slap across Santana's face. In return Rachel received a sharp right hook to her own face. With that it was on. Rachel slammed Santana into the locker only for her to recover and strike back with a kick to the diva's stomach. Santana quickly followed it up by grabbing Rachel's hair and dragging her across the floor like a cheap rag doll. Finn finally decided to step in and pushed Santana off his girlfriend. Still pissed off Santana took her chance and drove her elbow into Finn's face as he bent down to help Rachel up. Then as he was stunned she gave Finn a swift kick in balls. Finn fell like a sack of potatoes in pain as all the guys in the hall wince in sympathy.

"Hey! Knock it off and get going!" Coach Beiste shouted to Santana as she pushed through the crowd.

"That's how we do it at Lima Heights!" she called back as she walked away.

No one went to the help the two students on the ground and Noah turned to walk the other way when he spotted Kurt.

"Hey Kurt, do you know what the hell that was all about?" he asked as he walked over to his friend.

"Gross Puck. Cant you keep your pants on for at least a few hours" Kurt turned and looked away.

Noah looked down and saw his pants were undone and since he was going commando his pubic region was in clear view. He quickly redid his jeans and mumbled a quick apology to his friend.

"No I don't know what any of that was about" Kurt finally answered. "And I don't think I want to know."

"Well at least it was a good show" Noah smirked.

"And I think you have to get back to your own audience" Kurt motioned behind him.

Noah turned around and saw what's her tits standing behind him at the janitors' closet looking annoyed. He just shrugged and ignored her, turning back to Kurt.

"So I was thinking that since tomorrow night we got the assembly and this weekend is going to be busy with Finn and Carole moving we could do something tonight to have fun."

"Well how about we go bowling? I can ask Mercedes and Matt if they want to go after our rehearsal along with the guys. We can all go out tonight and relax before the big night on stage." 

"Sounds like a plan."

"I have to get to class so we'll meet up after school at the choir room" Kurt said.

"I'll see you in the choir after you're done."

With that Noah took off down the hall. He turned back when he heard the chick call out to him, pissed off at being forgotten. The jock just shrugged not really in the mood anymore and continued on his way. Looking down the hall he saw Artie once more. The guy looked like shit. With a deep sigh Noah just walked up to him and before Artie could do anything he grabbed his wheel chair and began pushing him down the hall.

"I know it's not my place to ask, but could you push me down the back staircase? My injury should be the same but it's more lightly populated so the humiliation wont be as bad."

"Relax, I'm here to take care of you. You're my boy now."

"What do you mean? Where are we going?" Artie asked even more confused.

"Come on dude, you're in a serious funk and I can smell it down the hall. We're goanna go do something about it."

"What are we goanna do?" Artie asked now getting even more worried.

"Well tonight, you, me, Kurt and so forth are goanna go bowling and just chill. But I'm completely broke so we're going to get some cash" Puck explained.

"How are we going to get cash?"

"Watch and learn young Jedi in wheelchair. You can't put a dollar amount on talent plus fear."

-Scene change-

Kurt walked down the hall, his hair still damp. The number had come together perfectly and he couldn't wait for tomorrow night. Everyone else was still washing up and changing back into their normal clothes. So he went ahead to the choir room to meet up with Noah. Artie seemed to be in a better mode by the time they gather for rehearsals and Kurt was glad. Kurt was worried when he hadn't shown up for their workout and the fact that he seemed so depressed the whole day. Surprisingly though Noah had helped him feel better. He didn't know how but he suspected it had something to do with the song they did out in quad that he had heard about. In the end, Kurt was just glad that Artie was feeling better and that he and Noah hadn't gotten into any trouble.

Mercedes was all up for bowling and so was Matt. Mike couldn't come since he said Tina was upset about something so he went to try and check in with her. If Kurt had any guess it was probably something to do with Artie but he didn't say a word. Artie said he would love to come and was going to bring Brittany along. For a moment, Kurt thought of asking Finn or Rachel but he decided not to. It might have been mean to exclude the couple but he didn't want to be around Finn and Rachel was giving him the creeps. Since yesterday she had been on his case about his vocals and she was still trying to find out what the trio's music number was.

All in all Kurt just didn't want to deal with either of the two right now. He had asked Sam if he was interested but he had martial arts training with his uncle and his uncle's friend. Quinn was busy and that just left Santana. He tried to ask her to go but she declined rather rudely and as it turned out she had detention for beating the crap out of Rachel and Finn. So Kurt just went to the choir room to wait for Noah. As he opened the door Kurt heard Noah already there, strumming his guitar.

"You guys all done rehearsing?"

"Yeah, everyone is just getting dressed. They should be here soon" Kurt said as he sat next to his friend. "So what are you playing?"

"Nothing, just tuning my guitar a bit" Noah shrugged as he played a few more chords.

"So what's this I hear about you playing in the quad for cash?"

"Hey it was for a good cause" Noah said quickly.

"Which was?"

"Artie was feeling kinda down so I figured doing something badass would get him out of his funk. Not to mention I'm broke and have zero cash for tonight and you won't get paid until tomorrow so I improvised. Now we got enough cash to take everyone to go bowling tonight and buy a carton or two of clove cigarettes afterwards."

"I don't smoke" Kurt said firmly as he crossed him arms.

"Neither do I, except after sex sometimes" Puck shrugged.

"Yeah that's really romantic Puck."

"Who cares about being romantic as long as you get off?"

"I care about romance" Kurt stated firmly.

"Oh come on Kurt, I bet if things were different and you weren't the only gay guy in the school you would be scoring all the time."

"Ok, first off, I'm not the only gay guy in school. It's statistically impossible for me to be the only one. I'm just the only one who is out. Secondly, even if there was nothing but gay guys here in school I wouldn't go around doing just anyone and everyone. I could never be like that."

"You don't think you're ready for sex?"

"Noah I'm a teenage guy. I'm there and ready to go. It's just that, when I see myself having sex, I want to be with someone who loves me."

"That is so gay" Noah laughed.

"Go ahead and laugh but I bet you don't even know how to be romantic. You spend so much time just getting it on; I doubt you even know how to woo a woman correctly" Kurt scoffed.

"I don't need any of that crap to get a chick. As long as I got my guns I don't need anything else" Noah said proudly.

"Noah, looks don't last forever. And I would be a liar and a hypocrite if I said looks don't matter. But I also want someone I can talk to and someone who will really listen to me."

Noah just laughed even harder.

"You sound like one of those soap operas or romance novels chicks read all the time."

"Well at least _I _can be romantic. I bet you can't even sing a romantic song."

"Well then how about I sing you a song then, and you can tell me how sexy and romantic I am" Noah dared.

Kurt just raised an eyebrow, and Noah just took that as sign that the challenge was accepted. Noah began to strum his guitar letting the melody fill the room. He turned in his chair and looked directly into Kurt's eyes as he began to sing.

_So denied… so I lied_

_Are you the now or never kind?_

_In a day and a day love_

_I'm gonna be gone for good again_

_Are you willing to be had?_

_Are you cool with just tonight?_

_Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive_

_Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry_

_Here's to goodbye _

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon_

As he looked into Kurt's eyes he felt that strange feeling again. The jock couldn't understand what was going on or why Kurt was having such a strange effect on him. Or why that feeling was getting so intense the more he and Kurt interacted. For his part Kurt seemed totally in control and only his eyes gave away at the emotions he was feeling.

_Put your name on the line_

_Along with place and time_

_Wanna stay_

_Not to go_

_I wanna ditch the logical_

_Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive_

_Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry_

_Here's to goodbye _

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon_

Noah felt like he was drowning in Kurt's eyes. All of the emotion was beginning to show and for some reason Noah couldn't stop himself from leaning in closer to Kurt. There was so much longing between the two neither one could tell where it was coming from. Noah could see Kurt's eyes become more turbulent and Kurt could see Noah's chocolate eyes somehow become a much lighter shade of topaz. They were completely immersed in each other, held together by the music.

_All my time is froze in motion _

_Can't I stay an hour or two or more_

_Don't let me let you go_

_Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive_

_Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry_

_Here's to goodbye _

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon_

_Too soon_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive_

_Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry_

_Here's to goodbye _

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon…_

For a moment neither spoke until Kurt broke eye contact.

"Not bad, although leave to you to think that a song about a one night stand is romantic."

"Hey, you can't keep the sex shark of Lima in one place for long" Noah winked.

They continued to talk and joke until the rest of the group got together. Kurt called his father to let him know where they were going. All he got was voice mail so he left a message. With everyone ready they headed off for the bowling alley. When they got there Matt, Noah and Artie went to get a lane and some food for everyone leaving Kurt alone with Brittany and Mercedes.

"OK Kurt, dish it out" Mercedes said once the guys were out of earshot.

"Dish what out?" Kurt asked confused.

"What's going on with you and Puck?"

"As far as I know; nothing. We're living together Cedes, and we're becoming good friends. That's about it."

"I've noticed, but it seems like the both of you became friends over night somehow. One minute he's in juvie the next he's living at your house."

"He needed a place to stay Mercedes. You gave Quinn a place to crash when she was pregnant. It's the same thing" Kurt explained.

"So what's it like then?" Mercedes asked wanting to get the dish on the half back.

"It's actually really cool once you get past his annoying habits."

"Like?" Mercedes pressed.

"Well he leaves his dirty clothes just about anywhere. Sometimes on purpose to tick me off. And as soon as he gets home he takes off all his clothes, so he is usually in nothing but his underwear. Which makes for awkward mornings if you know what I mean."

Mercedes laughed along with Brittany.

"So what's going on with you and Matt?" Kurt asked smugly.

"Nothing" Mercedes said a little too quickly.

"Oh come on Mercedes, it's obvious you guys got the hots for each other. I see the way you keep looking at each other during rehearsal. And I saw how you were ogling him when you saw him with out his shirt" Kurt declared.

However they were spared any further conversation as the guys all came back. Noah and Artie had paid for everything with the money they made in the afternoon so they were set to play for a good while. Noah gave everyone their shoes while Matt and Artie handed out the food and snacks they had bought. Kurt noticed Mercedes blush as Matt passed her a tray of nachos. He really hoped the two would get together soon. It was obvious to anyone with a brain the two were attracted to each other. And if anyone deserved love it was Mercedes.

Artie put in all their names and they began to bowl. The time passed with all of them having a lot of fun. Noah and Kurt would banter back and forth making the group laugh at all the sexual innuendo the two would shot at each other. Mercedes however was look at the pair wondering how Kurt could be so at ease. Usually Kurt was a lot more proper out in public but now he was completely carefree. And Puck was another story all together. When Kurt missed the spare Noah made a joke and called Kurt 'Angel Face'. Kurt didn't bat an eyelash at the nick name and just rolled his eye at the jock.

As the music began to play over the speaker system they all danced around while they bowled. The song 'Bad Touch' began to play over the speakers suddenly and Noah, Artie, and Matt started to sing along. Kurt, Mercedes and Brittany began hooting and hollering as the three spun and danced around them like male strippers. A good number of people looked over at the group but they didn't care and just had fun. By the end of the song they were all in a laughing fit. They continued to play until it was finally time to go. The group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"You hungry?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, but I can make us dinner when we get home."

"How about we go out to eat instead since I still got enough cash? We can go to 'Tops Diner' again" Noah offered.

Kurt agreed and the two went to the diner once more. Noah ordered for the pair once more much to Kurt's chagrin. The two talked; or rather Kurt tried to talk to Noah. Their waitress who was the same as the first time was flirting with Noah, who was flirting back. For some reason watching Lindsey practically throw herself at Noah was putting the soprano in a bad mood. A part of him just wanted to bitch slap her and tell her to shut up and get their drinks, which she hadn't even done yet. The thought made him pause since he had never had that kind of thought before for anyone. Yes, it was annoying that Lindsey was practically pressing her boobs into Noah's face and giving them shitty service as a result. However, that was no excuse to get rude, let alone hit a lady. But, watching the interaction was upsetting for some reason and he couldn't figure out why.

Finally, having had enough Kurt firmly stated he was thirsty breaking the two out of their haze. The waitress went to place their orders and get them their drinks. She came back with an iced tea for Kurt and a root bear float for Noah. She looked like she was about to stay and continue with Noah until another customer shouted out for her. Lindsey gave Noah a sexy wink and went to take her care of her other tables. Relieved to see her go Kurt began talking with Noah again. Kurt asked Noah what he wanted to do after he graduated high school. The jock said he hadn't thought about it much except he wanted to get the hell out of Lima. Kurt agreed and told him he wanted to study music in New York and go to college out of state. They were interrupted once more as Lindsey came back with there food. Kurt saw a look pass in between and got a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Noah got up and said he had to use the bathroom and took off, leaving Kurt alone at the table.

Not wanting to be rude Kurt decided to wait until Noah got back before he began eating. Sadly enough Noah didn't come back for a long time. To be exact, Noah disappeared for forty five minutes before he finally came back. As he sat back down it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened. With Noah's rumpled cloths and the huge bite mark on his neck it was obvious where he had gotten to.

"What?" Noah shrugged as he finally noticed the enraged look on Kurt's face.

"Puck did you really just leave me here for almost an hour to have a quickie?"

"Yeah, so?" Noah admitted as if there should be no problem.

Kurt couldn't believe Noah's audacity and just shook his head in frustration.

"The food is cold" Noah complained as bit into a French fry.

"Well it's been sitting there for almost an hour" Kurt replied as if talking to a two year old.

"Well why didn't you eat?" Noah gestured to Kurt's plate which was completely untouched.

"I was trying to be polite and waited for you to come back before I dug in myself" Kurt crossed his arms defensively.

"Dude what is your problem?"

"Puck, while I know this is difficult to understand since you're not used to polite social interaction. But it's completely rude to just leave for a large amount of time just to have a quickie while I sit here all alone bored out of my mind."

"It's not that big a deal Kurt. I do this kind of thing all the time. Hell I even tell you about it."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I want to watch it. Or be left in some strange place alone while you go off gallivanting with some woman."

"Why would you even care? It's not like were out on a date or anything. Were just friends Kurt and last time I checked I don't need you cock blocking me!" Noah replied getting ticked off.

Noah's words struck home and Kurt's anger deflated as he was forced to accept the truth of what his friend just said. He really had no reason to get this upset even if the whole thing was extremely rude of his friend to do. For his part the half back felt guilty at the look that spread across Kurt's face. He knew how sensitive Kurt was about the whole thing with Finn from last year. And here he was accusing Kurt of trying to get with him when Kurt had been nothing but a friend.

"Kurt… man…I swear I didn't mean that. I'm sor-"

"It's fine," Kurt interrupted as he held up his hand. "I was out of line. You can do whatever you want" Kurt stated, avoiding looking at Noah.

Kurt's phone rang cutting off any further conversation. Noah flagged down Lindsey as she came back, buttoning up her shirt.

"Could you get our food reheated, it went cold since my friend was polite enough to wait for me" Noah asked.

Lindsey happily took their food and Noah returned his attention back to Kurt.

"I tried to call you and I left you a message. It's only 9:21 p.m. We were going to head back when we finished eating" Kurt explained to his father over the phone. "We'll be back long before curfew and if anything happens I'll call you."

Kurt said goodbye and hung up the phone. Neither Kurt nor Noah said anything, looking at anything but the other. Lindsey came back with a fresh plate for both of them, leaving them alone since the other customers were as upset as Kurt had been.

"Thank you… for trying to wait for me" Noah announced, breaking the awkward silence.

"Let's forget about it. We got our food and we should just enjoy it."

Noah nodded and they both dug in. Kurt wasn't that hungry anymore but he knew he had to eat something despite his mood. When they were done Noah asked Kurt if he wanted desert to which Kurt politely declined. Noah paid the check and they took off back home.

-Friday-

Kurt was walking to his first class of the day when Karofsky slammed him into a locker and Azimio dumped a slushy on him as he fell to the ground. They took off down the hall laughing their heads off at the 'homo'. Everyone in the hall pointed and laughed and all Kurt could do was get back up with what little dignity he had left. He was about to go into the girls bathroom when Principal Figgins saw him and demanded he used the boys bathroom or receive detention. Walking all the way towards the opposite side of the hall Kurt went into the boys' bathroom and cleaned off the blueberry mess as fast as he could.

At the moment all Kurt felt like doing nothing more than just going home and going back to bed. He had made a complete fool of himself with Noah yesterday and right now all the laughter at his expense wasn't helping his mood. The two had barely said two words to each other since they left the diner last night. After everything that happened with Finn, Kurt felt like kicking himself. Most of the night he had spent tossing and turning in sleepless introspection. Going over everything that had happened with Finn Kurt realized the deeper meaning behind his crush on the quarterback. The reason he had fallen for Finn wasn't just because he was popular and good looking. It was because Kurt knew he would never have a chance in hell with Finn.

No matter what he had told himself, he always knew through and through that Finn would never like him, not even as a friend. So as long as he focused on Finn he was safe. He was safe from having to face how lonely he truly was, or how bad things were becoming. And maybe from the idea that he didn't deserve any kind of love after all. Because in moments like these, where he looked at himself in the mirror looking like a smurf as the slushy dripped all over his face, he really did feel like a freak.

As he felt the slush melting in his hair he wished for the countless time that he could be normal. Because no matter how much he loved being different, life would have been so much easier if he was normal. After years of hearing virtually everyone calling him names like, faggot, freak, homo, queer, and so forth it all starts to seep in. No matter how strong you are or pretend to be, everyone has their breaking point. That's what it felt like right now; like he was breaking inside. Wiping furiously at his face he tried to calm down and think things through rationally.

After the Finn incident Kurt made a promise to himself to never again be that weak or stupid. Yet once again Kurt had fallen into a similar trap, only this time it was worse, because Noah wasn't like Finn at all. Noah Puckerman was a crude, egotistical, libido driven man. Yet despite all that he was kind, funny, smart (when he tried to be), drop dead gorgeous, and secure in his manhood. On top of it all, he was a stand up guy who was always there when the chips fell. And with all the problems Noah had, the last thing he needed was Kurt treating him like they were an item.

Going over everything in his mind Kurt felt like a complete idiot. He was substituting Noah for a boyfriend, plain and simple. Noah was supposed to be his friend nothing more. And just because Noah was comfortable with him didn't mean he had the right to force himself on Noah in anyway. Even thought Noah seemed perfectly at ease with him all the time, and reciprocated just as much as Kurt did. Out of all the plans he had made he never thought about Noah. And now he felt more confused then ever. He had to get things going so he could leave after Christmas and he was spending so much time with Noah he hadn't even thought about his portfolio. And hadn't even finished going through the albums and movies he was going to need for the video Sam had talked him into doing.

The bell rang and Kurt realized he was now late for class. He had no other change of clothing to change into so he decided not to bother. Steeling his resolve he left the bathroom and began walking down the hall. At the end he spotted Noah going into the janitors' closet once again with yet another random woman. The sight made his stomach turn and his chest ache.

"_Why am I letting this get to me? It's Puckzilla! It's what he does and I don't have time to get comfortable and play house! I got to get moving!"_

Kurt sent Matt and Mercedes a text message saying he had something personal to take care off and that he would be back in time for the assembly. With that he left school and headed home.

-Scene change-

Noah walked out of the janitor's closet, even more frustrated than when he first went in. Getting off with a chick usually lifted his mood but for some reason he felt even more like crap. Kurt was obviously upset about yesterday and so was he. He had told Kurt off in quite possibly the worst way. The more time he spent Kurt the more he wanted to spend time with him. And to him that in itself didn't make any sense.

There was just something about Kurt that was driving him crazy inside. But what that was Noah was at a complete loss. He was Puckzilla for god's sake! And here he was feeling guilty like some weak punk. He tried getting it out of his system with a good make out session but now for some reason he just felt hollow. Almost like the night when he had lost Beth. Only now he didn't know why he felt this way. All he knew was that Kurt was his friend and he wanted to make things right. They needed to talk so Noah decided to go look for Kurt.

But as the day wore on Kurt was nowhere to be seen. No one had seen him all day. When he asked Sam the blonde said he hadn't seen him since their workout this morning. Artie hadn't seen him either or Brittany. After lunch he went to the choir room but no one was there. He then went to the auditorium hoping to find his friend. Sadly enough he immediately found that Kurt wasn't there. Although what he saw going on inside made him think he was hallucinating or in the Twilight Zone. Although that was the only thought he could think of before he was thrown out by Santana.

-Scene Change-

Kurt spent most of the morning watching the home movies and picking out the ones he needed along with some photos. When he was sure he had everything he needed he put them all into his bag and put the boxes back into his closet. Then he decided to try and make some space in the closet since Finn was going to need some space of his own come tomorrow. He still had no clue what the hell to do with all of the liquor he had stashed. The last thing he needed was to have Finn find it or worse his dad. With nothing to do about it, Kurt decided to hide the stash behind his most colorful and flamboyant clothes. That would be a good deterrent for Finn to stay away from that side of the closet.

By the time he was done it was almost time for school to be let out. He still had some time for the assembly tonight. So he decided to take a bath and let all the stress melt away in the deep hot water. His phone rang as he waited for the tub to fill. It had been ringing all day but he chose to ignore it. Kurt just ignored it since he wanted some peace to recollect himself. He poured in some bath salts and scented oils into the tub and set the jets on high. He took off all of his clothes and left them on the floor. His D&G outfit was effectively ruined from the slushy making him sigh in regret at the loss of amazing fashion.

He slid into the water, taking in the rich aroma of the cranberry and orange oil he had used. Relaxing against the bath pillow Kurt began to scrub his body clean. Letting his mind drift Kurt started to think about Noah. No matter what Kurt couldn't understand when he started to care so much about his friend. Especially since it got to the point where he could actually hug and kiss the jock. Living together had forced the two to see more of each other. And they found that as different as they were from one another, they both enjoyed the time they spent together.

But he shouldn't have let all of that make him get carried away. Then again, he wasn't the one always initiating things anymore. There was something odd about the way Noah interacted with him at times. Yesterday in the choir room being the most recent. When Noah sang him that song and he looked into his eyes there was this powerful feeling shining through. He didn't know what it was but for some reason it made him warm inside, as if Noah really was singing to him.

The very idea made Kurt laugh aloud as he washed his hair. Noah could never be attracted to him. Noah was completely and undeniably heterosexual. Any thought otherwise would be an even worse fantasy than the one he had built around Finn. Besides, the last thing he ever wanted to do was destroy his friendship with Noah by entertaining the slightest idiotic notion of a romance ever occurring between them. When he had blurted out to Noah that he loved him it had been the truth, but only as a friend. And Kurt was determined to keep it that way.

He was going to stop being so affectionate with Noah. Just because Noah didn't mind, it didn't mean he should. He would always be Noah's friend and be there for him, but he had to keep him at arms length. That was probably the best thing for both of them. Especially with Finn moving in tomorrow, since he doubted Finn would like seeing so many obvious displays of affection. He saw the shocked face on Finn last Saturday night. And while Finn was going to be sharing a room with him again and Noah, he didn't need to instigate anything. Finn was a homophobe plain and simple and he didn't need for the quarterback to start accusing him again of trying to seduce another straight guy.

Mind made up, Kurt finished bathing himself and just lay in the tub for a few minutes. Everything was happening so fast it felt like he didn't even have a moment to collect his thoughts anymore. Hopefully he could manage to keep ahead of it all. Knowing he had to get out, since he had to get dressed and get back to school, Kurt stood up and reached for the towel on the rack. However it was at this exact moment that the bathroom door was slammed open. Kurt only had a split second to cover himself before Noah burst through the doorway.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Kurt yelled.

For moment Noah just started at Kurt. He had seen Kurt in just his underwear before but for some reason he found the sight before him shocking. Kurt was drenched from head to toe with water still dripping down his body. And the towel that he used to cover his body was very lose on the soprano's waist. So loose in fact that Noah could see that Kurt went Brazilian. He was brought out of his shock as a bottle of shampoo hit him square in the face.

"GET OUT!" Kurt yelled.

Noah immediately did as demanded and hightailed it back into the bedroom. Kurt was mortified at almost being seen nude, especially by the guy who he had only minutes before decided to keep at arms length. And as he quickly wrapped his bathrobe around his naked body he couldn't stop but be confused at the expression on his friends face as Noah stared at his body. He looked around before he remembered that he hadn't brought any clothes with him into the bathroom, leaving him with nothing but the bathrobe. Cursing under his breath Kurt opened the door only to see Noah standing by the closet wearing a very Finn like expression on his face, which was making Kurt feel even weirder.

"What the hell Noah? What did you think you were doing?"

"I'm sorry dude. I was looking for you almost all day and no one knew where you were. I got freaked out cause I thought something happened to you since you weren't answering your phone" Noah quickly explained.

"I'm fine" Kurt stressed. "I had some personal stuff to take care of and that was it."

Neither one spoke for a moment until Kurt, feeling very self conscious, pushed past Noah and into the closet to grab a fresh set of clothes. Kurt immediately put on some underwear and a t-shirt.

"You can look now."

"I'm sorry" Noah restated.

"It's ok. But knock next time" Kurt sighed.

"What happened to you? Why did you take off and disappear?

"Don't worry about it. I had to take care of something personal that came up."

"Why didn't you answer your phone then?" Noah pressed.

"I wanted to be alone for a while."

"Look Kurt, I get that your mad at me but I'm sorry about last night."

"I'm not mad at you Noah. You were right. I shouldn't have gotten on your case. It's like I said before, what you do with your sex life is your business so let's just forget about it."

Noah looked at Kurt not understanding where all of this was coming from.

"Look, I got to get dressed and head back to school, so I'll see you there for the assembly."

"I'll wait for you" Noah offered. "We can go back in my truck."

"It's ok, you don't have to bother. Go ahead without me" Kurt shrugged as he began to look for clothes.

"It's not a bother" Noah insisted.

Kurt thanked his friend and got dressed. He made sure he had everything he needed and then told Noah he was ready. They piled into the truck and took off back to school. Noah turned to look at Kurt, but he had put on in his earphones and was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. Effectively cutting off any conversation.

-Scene change-

Will Shuester was both excited and apprehensive as the assembly was about to start. He began to wonder if all of this was such a good idea. Finn had come to him completely refusing to sing with Santana Thursday morning. He had tried to find out why but Finn wasn't talking and neither was Santana. He tried to demand for them to work it out whatever it was but Finn refused and stormed out of his office. Later that day Santana beat the crap out of Rachel and Finn and after detention said she was going to perform alone. Will thought about splitting up the trio but since it was only a day before the assembly he decided it would be unfair to break up whatever number they had planned.

So he had agreed to let Santana perform alone. The only reason he gave the ok was because she said she could pull off a number by herself in such little notice and because he didn't want to discourage any of her creativity. But it wasn't just Santana he was worried about. Ever since his talk with Kurt he had noticed the changes in his behavior and he didn't like what he was seeing. He had spotted Kurt just before the assembly talking with Artie and he looked rather down. Whatever they were talking about they obviously didn't want him to hear as they quickly broke apart and Artie shoved something into his book bag.

He had asked them if everything was ok and they both said everything was fine far too quickly for his liking. Deciding against pressing it he got the information he needed for their introductions and left them alone. He was surprised at the information some of his students gave them and it seemed the school was going to be in for quite a show. When he got all the information he required he went out to talk with the parents and other faculty members for parent teacher night. Finn had brought his mother but was also accompanied by Kurt's father. He spoke with them briefly letting them know how both Finn and Kurt were doing in his class as well as the glee club. When that was done they had left the room. Now he could see the three of them sitting together in the auditorium which was filling up rather quickly.

As the last few people filed in Principal Figgins welcomed everyone to the assembly and then turned the mic over to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you all to William McKinley High School. It is my honor tonight to show you all some of the most amazingly talented students we have here at William McKinley. So without further ado I would like to present to you as our first performers from New Directions, Rachel Berry and Artie Abrams."

The audience applauded and the lights all went out. The music began to play a spot light cut through the darkness revealing Artie as he wheeled himself out onto the stage. He was dressed up as the phantom of the opera, with an elegant black suit and a cape billowing behind over the back of his chair and the classic phantom mask over half his face.

_Artie:_

_You have come here _

_In pursuit of your deepest urge _

_In pursuit of that wish which till now _

_Has been silent _

_Silent. _

_I have brought you _

_That our passions may fuse and merge _

_In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses _

_Completely succumbed to me _

_Now you are here with me _

_No second thoughts _

_You've decided _

_Decided. _

_Past the point of no return _

_No backward glances _

_Our games of make-believe are at an end._

Artie's voice resounded in the auditorium entrancing the audience. Rachel had picked this song since it was classic for Broadway and it was slow enough so that she wouldn't have to worry about Artie's inability to dance. While Artie protested at first even he had to admit it was a good song and it matched their voices perfectly. But when he suggested they do a mash up of it Rachel refused to.

_No use resisting _

_Abandon thought and let the dream descend _

_What raging FIRE shall flood the soul? _

_What rich desire unlocks its door? _

_What sweet seduction lies before us? _

_Past the point of no return _

_The final threshold _

_What warm unspoken secrets _

_Will we learn? _

_Beyond the point of no return?_

Another spotlight suddenly appeared and off stage right Rachel appeared wearing a classic Victorian gown. It was a flattering pink and white gown with matching gloves. Rachel's hair was done up in an elaborate braid. As she stepped out she faced Artie slowly advancing towards him.

_Rachel:_

_You have brought me _

_To that moment when words run dry _

_To that moment when speech disappears _

_Into silence _

_Silence. _

_I have come here, _

_Hardly knowing the reason why _

_In my mind I've already imagined _

_Our bodies entwining _

_Defenseless and silent, _

_Now I am here with you _

_No second thoughts _

_I've decided _

_Decided. _

_Past the point of no return _

_No going back now _

_Our passion-play has now at last begun. _

_Past all thought of right or wrong _

_One final question _

_How long should we two wait before we're one?_

_When will the blood begin to race? _

_The sleeping bud burst into bloom _

_When will the flames at last CONSUME us?_

The two circled each other staring into each other as if nothing else existed.

_BOTH: Past the point of no return _

_The final threshold _

_The bridge is crossed_

_So stand and watch it burn _

_We've passed the point of no return. _

Artie suddenly stopped his wheel chair and held his hand out to Rachel. She tentatively took it and Artie began to sing softly in a sad voice. And his spotlight began to slowly dim out.

_Artie:_

_Say you'll share with me _

_One love, one lifetime _

_Lead me, save me from my solitude _

_Say you want me _

_With you here _

_Beside you _

_Anywhere you go _

_Let me go too _

_Christine that's all I ask of..._

Rachel suddenly screamed as Artie pulled her to him forcefully and into the darkness of the stage. The music ended and the lights came back on revealing an empty stage. The audience cheered and Artie and Rachel came back out on stage to take their bows and the stage curtains fell close behind them.

"Alright, next up from New Directions we have Sam Evans and Mike Chang. On a special note Sam Evans would like to dedicate this number to his Uncle, Major Dean Connor Evans."

The lights dimmed out once again but this time all the lights on the stage where turned on. Sam and Mike were standing center stage with the entire band behind them. All of them were wearing traditional Irish clothing and hats. Above them side by side were the American flag and the flag of Ireland. Sam began to play his guitar slowly and Mike began dancing to the beat. Sam was grateful he had been teamed up with Mike since he doubted anyone else in glee could learn Irish step dancing so quickly. Sam began by playing a few notes and Mike step danced afterwards, mimicking the notes with his tap shoes. The notes got faster and faster as well Mike's dancing and soon the band was clapping along. The audience joined in with the clapping just like the duo wanted and as Mike stopped dancing, the entire band began to play a very fast paced song. Sam immediately began to sing equally as fast and Mike danced along in an Irish jig.

_Sam:_

_While in the merry month of May from me home I started,_

_Left the girls of Tuam so sad and broken hearted,_

_Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,_

_Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother,_

_Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born,_

_Cut a stout black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins;_

_Bought a pair of brogues rattling o'er the bogs_

_And fright'ning all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin._

As the chorus started Sam swung his guitar behind his back and joined Mike in his dance. Their movements matched perfectly as they danced and clapped along with the beat. The audience clapped along as well, caught in the rhythm of music.

_One, two, three four, five,_

_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_

_All the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah!_

_In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary,_

_Started by daylight next morning blithe and early,_

_Took a drop of pure to keep me heart from sinking;_

_Thats a Paddy's cure whenever he's on drinking._

_See the lassies smile, laughing all the while_

_At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin'_

_Asked me was I hired, wages I required,_

_I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three four, five,_

_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_

_All the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah!_

The auditorium was resounding louder and louder with the music and the clapping. Mike hadn't stopped dancing for a single moment and his steps were growing more complex. Sam was alternating between playing the guitar and dancing along with Mike with each turn of the chorus. He couldn't do the complicated or acrobatic moves Mike was beginning to do since he had to keep a hold of his guitar. But when he swung his guitar behind him he joined Mike each time in dance not missing a beat.

_In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity_

_To be soon deprived a view of that fine city._

_So then I took a stroll, all among the quality;_

_Me bundle it was stole, all in a neat locality._

_Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind,_

_No bundle could I find upon me stick a wobblin'_

_Enquiring for the rogue, they said me Connaught brogue_

_Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin?_

_One, two, three four, five,_

_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_

_All the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah!_

_From there I got away, me spirits never falling,_

_Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing._

_The Captain at me roared, said that no room had he;_

_When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy._

_Down among the pigs, played some hearty rigs,_

_Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling;_

_When off Holy head I wished meself was dead,_

_Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three four, five,_

_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_

_All the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah!_

The music was reaching its crescendo to which Sam and Mike were both grateful for. The fast pace they had set was truly exhausting although it was amazing and fun. Sam's huge smile only seemed to grow bigger as he spotted his uncle smiling at him from his seat with pride in his eyes.

_Well the boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,_

_Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it._

_Blood began to boil, temper I was losing;_

_Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing._

_"Hurrah me soul" says I, me Shillelagh I let fly._

_Some Galway boys were nigh and saw I was a hobble in,_

_With a load "hurray!" joined in the affray._

_We quietly cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three four, five,_

_Hunt the Hare and turn her down_

_The rocky road and all the way to Dublin,_

_Whack follol de rah! _

The music ended with Sam and Mike standing back to back in the very center of the stage. Everyone in the audience went wild giving them a standing ovation. Sam quickly motioned for the band forward to join him and Mike for a bow. They all graciously joined the pair on stage, joined hands and bowed together. Sam looked towards his uncle and tossed his hat in his direction. Mike and all of the band members quickly did the same.

"Wow, is all I can say right now" Will said as walked back up on the stage. "Next up from New Directions we have Noah Puckerman & Tina Cohen-Chang."

The curtained parted once more revealing Puck leaning against a large jukebox. The stage had been made to look like a bar. He was wearing a tight pair of leather pants and a ripped up white t-shirt and army boots. In his hands was a red electric guitar which he held lazily in his hands. He turned to the jukebox and put in a coin. Suddenly as he pressed a button to begin the music he called out loudly.

_Noah:_

_Step inside, walk this way_

_You and me babe, hey hey!_

Noah began playing the guitar and Tina burst out from back stage and began to sing.

_Tina:_

_I saw him dancing there by the record machine_

_I knew he must have been about seventeen_

_The beat was going strong, playing my favorite song_

_And I could tell it wouldn't be long_

_Till he was with me, yeah, me_

_And I could tell it wouldn't be long_

_Till he was with me, yeah, me, singing'_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So come and take your time and dance with me_

Tina had kicked up her Goth style and was now wearing skin tight leather pants like Noah and platform Demonia boots making her look taller. She wore a tight blue tank top with only a single strap. Her hair now had even more blue streaks in it and she was wearing a pair of fingerless biker gloves. Tina began to dance to the rock and roll music drawing Puck away from the juke box. Noah began to walk to her like the badass he was looking her up and down.

_Noah:_

_Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on_

_Livin' like a lover with a radar phone_

_Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp_

_Demolition woman, can I be your man?_

_(Your man, hey, hey!)_

_Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light_

_Television lover, baby, go all night_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah_

_Come on! Take a bottle, shake it up_

_Break the bubble, break it up_

_Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me, I can't get enough_

_I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah_

Noah was making the guitar as he played and Tina's dancing got even naughtier giving Noah as much attidude as he gave her.

_Tina:_

_He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name_

_"That don't matter," he said, "'cause it's all the same."_

_He said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"_

_And next we were moving on_

_And he was with me, yeah, me_

_Next we were moving on_

_And he was with me, yeah, me, singin'_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So come and take your time and dance with me_

_Noah:_

_Listen, red light, yellow light, green light, go_

_Crazy little woman in a one man show_

_Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love_

_Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up_

_(Loosen up)_

_I loosen up_

_You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little, tease a little more_

_Easy operator come a-knockin' on my door_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah yeah_

_Give a little more_

_Take a bottle, shake it up_

_Break the bubble, break it up_

_Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can't get enough_

_I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah_

Tina at this point grabbed Noah by his shirt and began caressing his chest. The music seemed to be driving her wild as she then began to feel Noah up. From his chest to his back and all the way down. A lot of the students cheered although Shuester was looking rather nervous, hoping it wouldn't get any more provocative. Tina broke off her ministrations and faced Noah once again.

_Tina:_

_I said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"_

_And next we were moving on_

_And he was with me, yeah, me, singin'_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So come and take your time and dance with me_

_Noah:_

_Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can't get enough_

_I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah_

_Tina: I love rock 'n' roll_

_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_

_I love rock 'n' roll_

_So come and take your time and dance with me_

_Noah:_

_Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can't get enough_

_I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah_

The last note of the guitar wailed out and Tina took her cue and quickly ripped off Noah's shirt. The students went wild and Tina jumped on Noah's back and rode him off stage like a mechanical bull. The curtain closed and Mr. Shuester took the stage again.

"Well that was certainly… enthusiastic. Next up we have from New Directions Santana Lopez, who will be performing with the William McKinley football team."

A lot of the students looked completely confused since it was no secret what the football team thought of the glee club. The curtains opened once more revealing Santana lounging on a red velvet couch that sat atop a small flight of stairs. The entire football team was surrounding her dressed in tuxedos. She was wearing an amazing red dress like the one Julia Roberts wore when she went to the opera in 'Pretty Woman'.

(Authors Note: Santana's sing in _Italic_, football players in **BOLD**)

_Santana:_

_Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me_

_I think they're okay_

_If they don't give me proper credit_

_I just walk away_

_They can beg and they can plead_

_But they can't see the light,_

_That's right, that's right_

_'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash_

_Is always Mister Right_

_'Cause we are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_You know that we are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

Santana had gotten off the couch as she sang directly to the audience with the team falling in line leading her down the stairs.

_Some boys romance, some boys slow dance_

_That's alright with me_

_If they can't raise my interest then I_

_Have to let them be_

_Some boys try and some boys lie but_

_I don't let them play, no way, no way_

_Only boys that save their pennies_

_Make my rainy day_

_'Cause they are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_You know that we are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

All the guys each took their turn offering her things with comedic results. They all clumsily danced around her until a football player offered her a teddy bear. She snatched it up ripped off its head and threw it into the audience and walked to the next player who offered her a huge necklace. She took the necklace but paid the player no mind as she put on the necklace and went on to the next player. It went on and on in a similar fashion as she danced around the stage and all of the team was clumsily following behind her as if worshiping a goddess who was treating them like annoying mosquitoes. When she was offered something she only took the valuable items and ignored the suitor. The ones who gave her anything materially worthless were treated like crap and she literally walked right over a few in her high heels.

**Football team:**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

The football team just couldn't keep up with her and they were bumbling and tripping all over the stage making complete fools of themselves. Santana was amazing but she looked more and more annoyed at the football players. But it was so funny and so well done no one could tell if it was all part of the show or where they really just that bad. Either way no cared as they laughed and cheered. Arguably the funniest part was when Karofsky offered Santana a bouquet of roses. She snatched up the bouquet and smacked him right in the face with it. Karofsky looked like he was ready to kill and another player actually grabbed his arm pulling him away as Santana and he glared each other down. Another player offered her a flute of champagne which she took and moved on. Then Azimio stepped up and bent down as if to propose but instead offered her a huge lollipop. She promptly threw the champagne in his face and knocked him down to the floor and literally walked right over him to another football player holding up a Mink Stoll.

_Boys may come and boys may go_

_And that's alright you see_

_Experience has made me rich_

_And now they're after me_

_'Cause everybody's living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_You know that we are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_Living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_You know that we are living in a material world_

_And I am a material girl_

_A material, a material_

_A material, a material world_

**Football team:**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

**Living in a material world**

_(Material)_

**Living in a material world**

At the end of the song Santana was wearing a Mink Stoll over her dress, a gold bracelet, a gold watch, diamond earrings, a huge diamond necklace, and a tiara. The audience cheered and she took a bow quickly dismissing them like she had done the football team. She walked right off stage with her head held high. The team followed behind her looking royally pissed off and some actually looked physically hurt from being walked on with high heels.

"Alright, our next musical will be done by Quinn Fabray and Brittany Pierce from New Directions along with some of the famed Cheerios of William McKinley High School."

As Mr. Shue walked off the stage Quinn walked up to the mic. She was dressed casually in a flattering blue Sunday dress with her hair down out of its usual pony tail.

"This is a story about a girl named Brittany" Quinn said at mic.

She gestured behind her and the curtains rose revealing Brittany putting make up on at a vanity table dressed in bathrobe.

_Quinn:_

_Early morning_

_She wakes up_

_Knock, knock, knock on the door_

A loud knocking sound came out and Quinn stepped out of the darkness and sang to Brittany who looked exhausted.

_Quinn:_

_It's time for make up, perfect smile_

_It's you they're all waiting for, they go_

More Cheerios came out from out behind the stage pulled Brittany away from the vanity table. They took of her robe revealing an amazing blue sequence dress and began to sing along with Quinn.

_She's so lucky_

_She's a star_

_But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking_

_If there's nothing missing in my life_

_Then why do these tears come at night?_

They all took their turn harassing Brittany, giving her scripts to read and posing her like a mannequin for display while some of the other Cheerios took photos. All the while Brittany just looked completely sad and lost as they argued over her hair and her clothes. Quinn stepped away to the opposite side of the stage letting the Cheerios take over as she sang.

_Quinn:_

_Lost in an image_

_In a dream_

_But there's no one there to wake her up_

_And the world is spinning and she keeps on winning_

_But tell me what happens when it stops? They go_

More Cheerios came out onto the stage dressed like reporters taking even more photos and now even videos of her. In the midst of this Brittany tried to break away looking for at something passed the crowd. Artie suddenly wheeled himself out from back stage wearing his normal clothing, stopping right next to Quinn in the spotlight.

_Quinn:_

_"Isn't she lovely, this Hollywood girl?"_

_And they say_

_She's so lucky_

_She's a star_

_But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking_

_If there's nothing missing in my life_

_Then why do these tears come at night?_

Brittany tried to break away from the crowd but she was pulled back and the crowd blocked her away from Artie. One of the male Cheerios who was dressed in a black stepped forward holding an envelope and addressed the crowd directly with a big smile.

"And now for the Award for Best actress," He said as he opened the envelope. "And the winner is Brittany!"

The Cheerios all cheered and someone presented her with a fake Oscar statue. Another male Cheerio stepped forward dressed like a reporter with another one following holding a video camera.

"I'm Roger Johnson for Pop News standing outside the Arena waiting for Brittany! Oh, my God, here she comes!"

Brittany was pushed right into the crowd of Cheerios all of them begging for autographs and fawning at her presence almost knocking her right off the stage. She was still looking at Artie trying to reach him but couldn't get through the mob.

_Quinn:_

_"Isn't she lucky, this Hollywood girl?"_

_She is so lucky, but why does she cry?_

_If there is nothing missing in her life_

_Why do tears come at night?_

_She's so lucky_

_She's a star_

_But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking_

_If there's nothing missing in my life_

_Then why do these tears come at night?_

"STOP" Brittany screamed finally as she threw the award away.

She ran straight passed the mob as Artie wheeled himself to meet her in the very center of the stage. The blonde threw herself into his arms and Artie held her tightly in his lap as she cried. All of the lights suddenly went out except for the spotlight enveloping the couple. Artie wiped her tears away with his hands lovingly and she began to sing to him as another song began.

_Brittany:_

_Notice me _

_Take my hand_

_Why are we strangers when_

_Our love is strong_

_Why carry on without me?_

_Every time I try to fly_

_I fall without my wings_

_I feel so small_

_I guess I need you baby_

_And every time I see you in my dreams_

_I see your face, it's haunting me_

_I guess I need you baby_

As the soft music played the light slowly came back only this time it all the Quinn was leading all of the Cheerios in a slow choreographed danced around the couple.

_I make believe_

_That you are here_

_It's the only way_

_I see clear_

_What have I done?_

_You seem to move on easy_

_And every time I try to fly_

_I fall without my wings_

_I feel so small_

_I guess I need you baby_

_And every time I see you in my dreams_

_I see your face, you're haunting me_

_I guess I need you baby_

It all looked some kind of dream and neither Brittany nor Artie paid any attention to their surroundings.

_I may have made it rain_

_Please forgive me_

_My weakness caused you pain_

_And this song is my sorry_

_At night I pray_

_That soon your face_

_Will fade away_

_And every time I try to fly_

_I fall without my wings_

_I feel so small_

_I guess I need you baby_

_And every time I see you in my dreams_

_I see your face, you're haunting me_

_I guess I need you baby_

As the song ended Artie pulled Brittany into a deep kiss. The audience cheered loudly although the two didn't stop kissing. Quinn tapped Artie on shoulder grabbing his attention. They laughed and everyone bowed as the were given a standing ovation before leaving the stage.

"Every performance just seems to be getting more and more amazing," Shuester declared as he took the stage once again. "Now for our finale, we have Matt Rutherford, Mercedes Jones, and Kurt Hummel. Joining them as back we have several more Cheerios and members of New Directions."

(Authors note Matt singing in **BOLD, **Mercedes in _Italic, _Kurt in Underline, and everyone in all _**three)**_

Mr. Shue walked off the stage and a loud thunderclap resounded through the auditorium. The sounds of a storm where playing through the sound system and as the curtains parted. It was now raining on the stage and the floor was completely flooded and the lights were all now tinted purple. In the front on stage right Kurt stood ankle deep in water with Mike, Sam, and Artie, along with three male Cheerios. They were all dressed in matching suits and hats in the style of the 1950's. Behind them on stage left the last half of the female Cheerios where matching black raingear. All of them where holding matching purple umbrellas standing in the rain. Mercedes and Matt where sharing a single umbrella in the back center of the stage. Matt was using his own umbrella like a cane and looking at Mercedes.

_Mercedes:_

_You have my heart_

_And we'll never be worlds apart_

_Maybe in magazines_

_But you'll still be my star_

_Baby cause in the dark_

_You can't see shiny cars_

_And that's when you need me there_

_With you I'll always share_

_Because_

They all began to dance and stomp on the floor splashing the water everywhere.

**Matt:**

**I never meant to cause you any sorrow**

**I never meant to cause you any pain**

**I only wanted one time to see you laughing**

**I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**I only wanted to see you bathing in the purple rain**

Kurt:

I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin',

Singin' in the rain

Kurt led all the guys in the choreography, doing tricks with their umbrellas and splashing the water everywhere. Mercedes did the same with the Cheerios leaving Matt to join Kurt and the rest of the guys. The music was upbeat and everyone was already completely soaked in the rain.

_Mercedes:_

_When the sun shines, we'll shine together_

_Told you I'll be here forever_

_Said I'll always be a friend_

_Took an oath, I'm a stick it out till the end_

_Now that it's raining more than ever_

_Know that we'll still have each other_

_You can stand under my umbrella_

_You can stand under my umbrella_

**Matt:**

**Never wanted to be your weekend lover**

**I only wanted to be some kind of friend, hey**

**Baby, I could never steal you from another**

**It's such a shame our friendship had to end**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**I only wanted to see you underneath the purple rain**

Kurt:

I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin',

Singin' in the rain

Matt's voice was truly amazing. It almost sounded as if Prince himself was on the stage singing with Mercedes. Kurt knew they had made the right decision in making him sing the male lead and Kurt just led the chorus and the male dancers. Their blatant attraction seemed to magnify a hundred fold on stage as Kurt watched the pair sing to each other. If they didn't get together after this he was going to have a little talk with Matt to see if he could give the guy the confidence boost he need to ask Mercedes out.

_**All:**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh, eh eh eh)**_

_Mercedes:_

_These fancy things_

_Will never come in between_

_You're part of my entity_

_Here for infinity_

_When the war has took its part_

_When the world has dealt its cards_

_If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart_

_Because_

_When the sun shines, we'll shine together_

_Told you I'll be here forever_

_Said I'll always be a friend_

_Took an oath, I'm a stick it out till the end_

_Now that it's raining more than ever_

_Know that we'll still have each other_

_You can stand under my umbrella_

_You can stand under my umbrella_

_**All:**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh)**_

_**Under my umbrella**_

_**(Ella ella, eh eh eh, eh eh eh)**_

Kurt:

I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin',

Singin' in the rain

The dancing was getting wilder as everyone was having fun and just splashed water all over one another. Mike and Kurt broke away from the other dancers and did numerous flips and gymnastics together while doing tricks with their umbrellas. The audience cheered louder and louder the more complex their gymnastics became.

**Matt**:

**Honey, I know, I know, I know times are changin'**

**It's time we all reach out for something new, that means you too**

**You say you want a leader, but you can't seem to make up your mind**

**And I think you better close it and let me guide you to the purple rain**

_**All:**_

_**I'm singing in the rain**_

_**Just singing in the rain**_

_**What a glorious feelin'**_

_**I'm happy again**_

_**I'm laughing at clouds**_

_**So dark up above**_

_**The sun's in my heart**_

_**And I'm ready for love**_

_**Let the stormy clouds chase**_

_**Everyone from the place**_

_**Come on with the rain**_

_**I've a smile on my face**_

_**I walk down the lane**_

_**With a happy refrain**_

_**Just singin',**_

_**Singin' in the rain**_

_Mercedes:_

_It's raining_

_Ooh baby it's raining_

_Baby come here to me_

_Come here to me_

_It's raining_

_Ooh baby it's raining_

_You can always come here to me_

_Come here to me_

Matt joined wrapped his arm around Mercedes waist, looking at her as they danced together in the rain making Mercedes laugh aloud at he look of joy on his face.

**Matt:**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**If you know what I'm singin' about up here, come on raise your hand**

**Purple rain, purple rain**

**I only want to see you, only want to see you in the purple rain**

Many people from the audience raised their hands waving them in tune with the music.

_**All:**_

_**I'm singing in the rain**_

_**Just singing in the rain**_

_**What a glorious feelin'**_

_**I'm happy again**_

_**I'm laughing at clouds**_

_**So dark up above**_

_**The sun's in my heart**_

_**And I'm ready for love**_

_**Let the stormy clouds chase**_

_**Everyone from the place**_

_**Come on with the rain**_

_**I've a smile on my face**_

_**I walk down the lane**_

_**With a happy refrain**_

_**Just singin',**_

_**Singin' in the rain**_

The song ended with everyone striking a pose, opening their umbrella's just as the rain stopped. Once again the audience gave the performers on stage a standing ovation. Matt, Kurt, and Mercedes all looked at each other and began to laugh. They linked their arms together and skipped to the front of the stage and bowed with everyone else bowing behind them. The three were then doused with water as the dancers splashed them with water from behind. The three laughed and began to splash back and a huge water fight started even making the audience laugh. Will went up to end the show only to be doused by the students. Kurt and everyone laughed as their teacher stood on stage soaked from head toe.

"Ok everyone that is our show for the evening! How about one last round of applause for all of our performers."

All of New Directions came out from back stage along with the Cheerios, minus the football players though and bowed one last time. The stage was still flooded and as Mike, Sam and Matt, looked at each other and nodded they started another splash fight soaking everyone on the stage. Even Santana didn't care as she gave as good as she got. The cheering continued for a while until Mr. Shue broke everything up.

-Scene Change-

The assembly had gone off without a hitch and he was glad and it seemed everyone had a blast. Kurt was really impressed with everyone's performance and as he walked back stage he saw Matt talking to Mercedes. The sight made him smile and he left the two budding love birds alone. While everyone was celebrating back stage Kurt took off. He saw Noah about to approach him and he went the other way. Keeping Noah at arms length wasn't going to be easy but he knew it would be better for both of them in the end. But even knowing that he still felt an ache in his chest. Ignoring it Kurt, wanting to get out of his wet clothes, went to his locker and grabbed his extra set of clothes.

Once he was done changing he decided to go and look for his father. He had spotted his father sitting with Finn and Carole in the audience. He wondered what happened since Finn was supposed perform with Santana. Kurt had almost hightailed out of the back stage area once he saw the entire football team there. Thankfully Sam and Noah got the guys to form a perimeter around Kurt, to which he thanked them for. How Santana had gotten them to perform was mystery and Kurt wasn't sure if he wanted to know anyway. Spotting his dad by the refreshment table along with Carole and Finn he walked over.

-Scene Change-

Noah's good mood went down a bit as Kurt took off. Kurt was obviously still upset with him and he didn't know what he could do about it. Everyone had stayed to talk except Kurt but nobody seemed to notice with the exception of Noah. He thought about going after his friend but decided to give him his space. Besides, he didn't know what to say anyway. His attention was soon diverted as Mr. Shue came back stage.

"Guys I am so proud of all of you. You were all amazing!"

"Thanks Mr. Shue. That means a lot to us" Mercedes said.

"How did you guys ever come up with those numbers?"

"Well" Quinn began. "Brittany actually had the idea for our number. We never got to finish our Brittany Spears performance because of Sue pulling the fire alarm. So we sat down and looked for the least offensive Brittany Spears songs we could find."

"But how did you all rehearse such huge numbers in such a short time?" Rachel asked. "Neither you or Kurt barely used the auditorium."

"Simple, Kurt and I had the same idea about where to practice and we both shared the gymnastics room the Cheerios use," Quinn answered smugly. "It's large enough for the entire squad and it has its sound system for when we practice. So Kurt and I agreed to split up the Cheerios evenly and the gymnastics room."

"But that's not fair," Rachel ranted. "The rest of us only had the auditorium to practice. And we all went on without help. You and Kurt just cheated."

"How could we cheat? This was never a competition and Mr. Shue gave us complete creative freedom so there weren't any rules" Quinn reminded.

"Yeah," Mercedes agreed. "And we all worked hard and did the best we could with what we had. Kurt and I got our friends on the Cheerios to help us out. And it was Kurt's idea to have Matt sing male lead. He was amazing, right Kurt?"

Mercedes turned to her left only to find that Kurt was gone. Everyone looked around but Kurt wasn't even in the dressing room.

"Where's Kurt? He was right behind a second ago" Mercedes asked.

"I saw him-"

"It doesn't matter where Kurt is" Rachel interrupted Noah. "You guys still cheated. Mr. Shue say something!"

Everyone looked at their teacher expectantly.

"Rachel, no one did anything wrong. This was never a competition. It was suppose to be about team work. That's why I gave you all creative freedom. So you could all express yourselves creatively and express anything you wanted."

Rachel stormed off out of the backstage area in her usual Prima Donna fashion. The good cheer was effectively broken and Mr. Shue shook his head in disappointment.

"Forget about her Mr. Shue. No one really cares what that loser thinks" Santana chimed in.

"That's enough Santana" Mr. Shue warned. "You're in enough trouble as it is. I don't want you starting anymore fights or won't be able to stop Figgins from suspending you."

"I'm just keeping it real Mr. Shue. I'm not saying anything that anyone else here isn't thinking" Santana replied.

The rest of the club agreed with the Latina. Mr. Shue said he would take to her, but it was obvious no one believed it would do any good. Mr. Shue left and the rest of the club went their separate ways. Noah texted Kurt to see where he was. Getting a reply he took off to get dressed and find his friend. After he changed back into his jeans and regular shirt he went over to the refreshments where Kurt was waiting for him.

Burt gave him a fatherly pat on the back and congratulated him on his performance, which Noah found a bit awkward. Carole returned the sentiment and Finn just nodded. Kurt for his part hadn't said a word and was standing there expressionless as if he was bored out of his mind. Burt asked if Noah was ready to go to which he said yes. They took off and headed to the parking lot about to head home for family dinner. As they walked out of the school entrance Noah heard Sam calling out behind him.

"Hey guys wait up."

"What's up Sam?" Kurt asked.

"I wanted you guys to meet my uncle."

"I'd love to meet him. Hey dad wait up!" Kurt called out.

As Burt, Carole, and Finn walked up the front steps Kurt felt a large presence behind him that came out of nowhere. Kurt turned around slowly only to see a huge man standing before him. He was easily an inch taller and than Finn and had a lot more mass. This was someone even Puck wouldn't mess with. He looked as if someone had taken a boulder and chipped it down to resemble a man. For where as Finn was incredibly tall this man was also built, much like the bodybuilder you saw clips of who played the Incredible Hulk in the old 90's TV series. That fact that Kurt could even make a comparison like that since he had been spending so much time with Sam didn't even register as he took the major in.

Sam's uncle stood tall with his hands behind his back, wearing a simple but neat and functional black suit. The mans head was cleanly shaved and missing all hair. Kurt was amazed he even had eyebrows. At the base of his neck on his left side Kurt saw what looked like a burn scar, and quickly averted his gaze so as to not be rude. As Kurt took in the rest of his face Kurt saw the immediate family resemblance. Sam and his uncle had the same eyes, nose, chin and even the large lips. If Kurt didn't know this man was Sam's uncle he would have thought the man was his father.

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel" Kurt introduced himself as he held out his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you Kurt," the Major smiled and shook Kurt's hand. "Sammy has told me a lot about you."

"Sammy?" Puck chuckled.

"Got a problem with that Puckerman?" Sam said threathingly but with a smile.

"Who is this?" Burt asked.

"Mr. Hummel, Ms. Hudson, Finn, I would like to introduce you all to my uncle. Major Dean Connor Evans" Sam introduced.

They all shook hands and talked for a while. Kurt offered Sam and his uncle to join them for their family dinner. They accepted the offer and they all took off back towards the Hummel residence.

-End Chapter-

-Author's Notes-

Songs used in chapter:

Voltaire - Happy Birthday (My Olde Friend): I thought this song was hilarious when my friend sent me the video of it on facebook for my birthday months ago and I thought and I wanted to use it here.

Treble Charger - Red: This is the song I was originally planning for Artie to sing last chapter. So in a sense Artie did change his song at the last minute because of Rachel's insult.

The Diva Dance (Full Opera Mix): for those of you who don't know this song or don't know its name, this is the song from the movie Fifth Element. The song is amazing and I can definitely see Kurt singing it since he is a Counter-Tenor. If you haven't heard, it before download it. You will love it!

Cherie – Betcha never: I wanted to steam up the Santana and Finn situation and I thought this was perfect.

Fleetwood Mac – Landslide: Considering all the trouble Kurt is having with his dad I figured this says it all. Kurt isn't a little kid anymore but regardless he loves his father with all his heart even with how things are shaping up.

Eve 6 – Here's to the Night: This is one of my most favorite songs and I know Puck can sing the hell out of it. Most people play this at graduation ceremonies without realizing that it really is all about a one night stand.

Assembly Songs:

Artie and Rachel: The Phantom of the Opera – Past the Point of No Return: With Artie and Rachel's voices together I thought this was a good fit. I'm hoping to see the play live next month in NYC if I can scrape the cash together.

Sam and Mike: The Dubliners – The Rocky Road to Dublin: Since I made Sam Irish in this song I looked up a lot of traditional Irish music. This song is the remade version by the Dubliners that was used in the new Sherlock Holmes movie. The original song was so long I couldn't use it in the story so I settled for this one. It's still amazing though.

Mike and Tina: Def Leopard – Pour Some Sugar on Me and Joan Jett – I Love Rock-n-Roll: I originally wanted to mix the Joan Jett song with 'Fat Bottomed Girls', but as I was discussing my ideas with my beta, she told me this song was going to be used in a future episode. In fact a lot of song ideas I had kept being used to I had to look all over for a new song to mash up. I hope you all like.

Santana: Madonna – Material Girl: I was so stuck on what to have Finn and Santana sing together that it drove me crazy. But then I was writing the Santana and Finn scene and I just split them up. In the end I thought it made for a good plot twist. And let's face it the song fits Santana perfectly. Also she can be rather resourceful and I figured this would bring her into the spotlight more. Literally. The idea for the football players came to me as I saw the original music video for the song, and to be honest I hate all of the football players. What they do is monstrous and I felt they all needed a taste of public humiliation.

Quinn and Brittany: Britney Spears – Lucky & Everytime: I almost went with some Kesha songs but I couldn't find a good mash up for them so I went back to the Britney Spears episode for inspiration. Plus the lyrics for the songs really do say a lot about Brittany, not to mention I love her and Artie together.

Matt, Mercedes and Kurt: Prince – Purple Rain, Rhianna – Umbrella, and Singing in the Rain: in the duet episode Kurt mentioned this song and I had this amazing idea to mash up Singing in the Rain with Purple Rain. But then they used it in the substitute episode and mixed it with Umbrella. So I thought I could put them all together in one big performance and it helped bring Matt into the spotlight finally. The performance is generally the same as in the show only a lot bigger and Kurt and Mike really just slammed the dance moves like crazy.

Poems:

Sewer Walking was a poem I heard once on the show Joan of Arcadia. I loved it and I tracked it down for this chapter. The other one in Puck's drawing was all mine but I never chose a title for it.

Ok everyone here is the latest chapter of my story. I hope you all enjoy it. This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written, so I just had to end it where I did otherwise I would have just kept going. Now as far as some of the characters are going I put a lot more in this chapter than I originally planned so I hope the characters development has been going well.

Finn is still trying to process everything he's been forced to see by Kurt and is totally lost right now, but there is still plenty of the old Finn left in him so things are going to be very rocky for a while. But at this point I would like to address that in my reviews I got a lot of people saying how much they hate Finn and Rachel. So to please you all I put in that fight with Santana. The original fight with Lauren was hilarious if obviously one sided. So I used it for the scene. And to be honest it in the Show Rachel and Santana ever threw down I'm betting on Santana hands down. Feel free to let me know what you all think.

In the show Tina just dumped Artie and the entire situation was swept under the rug when Brittany showed up. I wanted to take on the situation head on because frankly I think Tina was wrong in how she treated Artie. It was like her character did a 180 and I wouldn't easily forgive and forget with anyone who treated me like that. Especially since she only broke up with Artie when they got back to school which meant she really did cheat on Artie all summer. Does anyone thing I'm wrong?

Kurt and Noah are speeding up but frankly I think they are both too damaged to realize what's going on. On Kurt's side of things he thinks of Noah as a good friend and because of what happened last season with Finn he won't entertain the idea of romance with Noah. Despite the fact that all the signs are there and right in his face he won't admit the obvious sexual tension between the both of them. Kurt has no experience in relationships because he's never had one. As for Noah, he is beginning to have even stronger feelings for Kurt but he doesn't know what they are because he's never looked for love, only sex. And it's just like in the real show surprisingly, he's beginning to realize that looks don't matter and is attracted to Kurt because of how tough he can be. Only difference is that this time it's not about how much someone ways but about gender. I think love can transcend gender if someone's mind is open enough and Noah has proven to have an open mind even in the show. Hence why I think Kurt and Noah can be amazing together. Love to me has nothing to do with gender or orientation it's something that you feel regardless of how it comes about. Kurt just being himself with Noah is making him mature more and see things more clearly. However Puck is still Puck so he's dealing with it all the only way he knows how, namely getting laid. So after the outburst at the diner Kurt has decided to ease of Puck because he doesn't want to lose him as a friend and it's reinforcing his belief that he should leave. For his part Puck feels guilty because of he knows about what happened to Kurt with Finn and how deeply it affected him so his outburst was very hurtful for his friend. So as things continue things are going to begin heating up.

Now as far as the show goes, I have to say I am disappointed in their lack of creativity. The whole Rachel, Finn, Quinn, Sam, and Santana love triangle is just insane. Quinn by now would have learned her lesson about cheating and Finn is a complete hypocrite for dumping Rachel and then hitting up another guys girlfriend. If this was how things were going to turn out they should have just stuck with the original plan and had Sam and Kurt fall hook up. Because in all honesty Kurt and Sam make a hell of a lot more sense than Sam and Santana. Also, I'm pissed off that they might have Karofsky join the glee club. I mean what the hell? The guy practically sexually assaulted Kurt and now they want to make him part of the main cast. What the hell are they thinking?

Well anyway I'm going to start on the next chapter since this one is going to be even more difficult to write than any before. I keep trying to go over all of the episodes and use everything the show just passed over and turn it into plot points for my story to make it more believable. But that's getting harder to do and I hope I can come up with something original. Then again there s also the 'Mary-sue' issue to consider and I hope I have shown that Kurt really does have weaknesses and despite how talented he is he is only human and in the coming chapter you're going to see a lot more of that contrast. So please everyone review because like I said before your reviews always help me and since I this story isn't set in stone if you guys kind of help shape this story as well. So please review and let me know what you think good or bad.


	10. Never Been Kissed

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title: Never Been Kissed

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: Jason Dragon

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin Chapter-

The alarm woke up as it always did. He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom still exhausted. All the heavy lifting he did this weekend had really taken a lot out of him. He could barely believe it as already Monday. As he showered and let his muscles relax under the hot spray he began to think about the weekend which seemed to pass in a blur. Although that was probably because he had spent it locking himself away from everyone.

Friday night after the show Kurt had invited Sam and his uncle Dean to their house for their customary family dinner night. As it turned out the major was a very charismatic man as well as very polite and proper. All of the years in the army had obviously ingrained a strict level of discipline, as well as integrity. Despite being slightly put off at first by his intimidating stature, Kurt found he genuinely liked the man. Burt seemed to like him as well and it as the dinner wore on Carole and Burt learned that he too was a widower. When Carole asked if he ever considered remarrying he joked that the way he saw it, if the army wanted him to have a wife they would have just issued him one. Everyone laughed, and the major continued telling them all about himself. Carole and Finn were surprised when he told them he served in Desert Storm. He had never met Finn's father though since he was in another battalion.

Kurt for his part let himself fade into the background and let everyone else talk. Every so often he could feel Noah looking his way to which he ignored. He was dragged back into the conversation when Sam had brought up his martial arts training. He asked his uncle if he would consider training Kurt as well. Burt asked what Sam was talking about, to which Sam explained that his uncle had begun training him in martial arts since he got back home. Sam thought it would be a good idea for Kurt to learn with him.

Immediately Kurt dismissed the idea and told Sam again that he didn't have what it took to learn martial arts. The major however told him it was the exact opposite.

"The best dancers make the best fighters" he told Kurt.

He then went on to explain how Kurt could be a good fighter since he displayed so much coordination and athletic ability up on stage. According to Sam's uncle, he himself danced and it proved invaluable to his martial training because it all helped define his movement. When Kurt said he was too small to ever really stand a chance against people as big as Sam or Noah the major said that was wrong also. He explained that the idea of martial arts wasn't invented by large people but by smaller people so they could fight back against larger people who tried to harm them. In example he explained how the discipline of breaking wooden boards came about in karate. Farmers who had been terrorized by samurai practiced punching through wooden boards so they could punch through samurai armor, which was also made out of wood.

In the end the major told Kurt that he would be welcome to join Sam in his lessons and hinted that his business partner would probably be interested in meeting Kurt as well. Now that he was retiring from the army to take care of Sam he was going to open up a martial arts school again since he still owned the property he had bought for it years ago. Kurt said he would give it some thought since he was so busy with everything else. Thankfully the conversation turned to other things and Kurt was able to sit back again and fade into the background once more.

Once dinner was over Kurt did the dishes while everyone went to the kitchen to talk more and relax. Sam and Noah however went down to the basement to play some video games. When Kurt was done he went down also. He couldn't help but smile as Sam did a Darth Vader impression as he beat Noah in Soul Caliber. Kurt hoped Sam would never change, for despite how corny and geeky he could be he was always comfortable in his own skin. While the two played Kurt grabbed his portfolio and began to add things. He needed to finish it in a week and a half since his birthday was going to be next Thursday and he wanted to send it off then and there.

He needed to add at a lot more to his own section in the book and planned to photo copy out that section to send along with the DVD. But that also meant he needed to finish the music video if he wanted to have an even number of performances. He had given Artie everything he needed for the first half of the music video and hopefully by the end of the week he would have everything else he needed for the last half. They could record it next Monday and Artie could finish the editing by Tuesday. It would be close but worth it.

It got late and Sam and his uncle left. Kurt put away the portfolio and began to get ready for bed. He went into the bathroom to change and came back out to find Noah standing by the door, already in his underwear. When Kurt tried to move past him Noah grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to face the jock.

"Kurt, look I'm sorry alright. I don't know what else to say."

The soprano sighed and told Noah that it really was all ok and that they were fine. Noah surprised Kurt by pulling him into hug. For a moment Kurt almost let his friend's body welcome him into the warm embrace, but after a moment Kurt let go of his friend and told him goodnight. He then turned away and got into bed with his back turned towards Noah. He felt a dull ache in his chest at the dismissal but if he had turned to look he would have seen the hurt expression on Noah's face as he stood by the bathroom door, still looking at his friends back. Finally, the halfback looked away and went into the bathroom to take a shower. By the time he came out Kurt had fallen asleep.

They were both awoken early the next morning by Burt and the two got up and dressed. The entire day they had spent moving boxes and furniture. Some moving guys Burt hired took away some of the things in the living room including his mothers piano. Kurt just ignored it all and kept moving boxes along with Finn and Noah. Thanks to Noah truck they were able to move things even faster and got everything in two trips. Carole and his dad rearranged things in the living room; or rather mostly they took everything out since the crew was coming Monday to start working on the partition. Finn brought his stuff down to the basement and the three of the sorted everything out. Since Kurt already made room in the closet for Finn's things that was the easiest part. Then they had to set up his bed which took up the last space of room in the basement.

By the end of the day they were all tired and Burt just ordered out pizzas for them all to eat. Kurt ate two slices and quickly excused himself from the table. He could tell Finn was growing more and more uncomfortable around him and the last thing he wanted was for things to go sour already. He went down to his room which was now a mess of boxes. Some empty some half full, and some filled with junk that needed to be tossed out. He went grabbed his portfolio and then went out to the garage to get some work done.

After some time Noah showed up out of nowhere taking the soprano by surprise. He quickly snapped shut his portfolio and turned to face the jock. Seeing his unease Noah joked that it was ok for Kurt to draw him naked. Kurt rolled his eyes and told Noah to shove it with his ego. Noah laughed and told Kurt he was going to visit Sarah tomorrow and asked if he wanted to come along. Kurt declined saying he had to tutor Sam but reminded Noah to get Sarah's measurements for her costume. After an awkward moment of silence Noah nodded and left back into the house leaving Kurt alone again.

He then called Sam and asked about the tutoring since everything in his house was still a mess. Sam said they could do the tutoring at his place and that Kurt could come over whenever he could since he had the entire day free. Kurt agreed and told Sam he would see him tomorrow and hung up. Rubbing his temples Kurt decided to look for some fabric to see if he had enough o make Sarah a witch costume for her play. He thankfully had what seemed like just enough. With a spare sketch pad Kurt kept with his sewing supplies he began to sketch out his idea for the costume.

"Kurt" Burt's voice called out.

Kurt looked up from his work and saw his father standing behind him.

"What's up dad?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," Kurt shrugged. "I'm just working on a costume for Sarah. She has her heart set on playing the wicked witch and I promised her I'd help her out."

"That's nice of you" Burt said as he stepped closer to his son. "Are you doing ok?"

"I'm fine dad" Kurt insisted.

"Son I told you before I'm dumb not stupid. I know something is going with you. You barely spoke two words at all today. And then you took off while we were having dinner. So what is going on? Is this about Carole and Finn moving in? Because if it is, I asked you if you were OK with them moving back in with us."

_"You asked me after you already decided for them to move back in. Just like you gave Finn a job at the garage without even warning me!" Kurt yelled in his head._

"Dad I just got a lot on my plate right now. I've been going all over the place these past couple of weeks and I'm exhausted. And by the looks of things I'm going to have a lot more to do. Tomorrow as soon as the basement is unpacked I have to go to Sam's house to tutor him. On Monday I have to team up with Artie on an A/V project we have to do and I have no idea how we can pull it off. So I'm just kind of distracted right now" Kurt explained calmly.

"Well then how about we go out and have some fun together just you and me. It's been a while since we spent anytime together" Burt offered.

"I appreciate the thought dad, but we both have a lot of stuff going on right now. You're busy with the work at the garage, and the contractors will be here on Monday to start adding the addition to the house. Not to mention we have to get Carole and Finn unpacked and settled tomorrow."

"Well then how about something next weekend then? I'm sure we could both clear our schedules and do something fun. What do you think?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed. "If you think you'll have the time. I'll leave my weekend free except Sunday morning since I promised Sam I'd tutor him."

With that they spoke for a few minutes more before Burt finally left the garage. Kurt went back to his design and when he was done he went back into the house also. His dad and Carole were heading upstairs as he walked back in and he went towards the basement. As he walked down the stairs, Finn made a startled noise. The soprano looked up just in time to see Finn quickly pull his shirt back down. His shoes were off and it looked like he was about to undress for the night. He wrapped his arms around himself as if he was a girl with no top on.

Finn just looked awkwardly at Kurt to which he replied with a dramatic sigh and turned around, going back upstairs. Kurt figured that would be the most polite thing to do, instead of telling Finn off for thinking Kurt was trying to sneak a peak at him. He didn't want to run into his dad in the kitchen and have to answer any more questions. With no place else to go he went back into the garage. Pulling out his portfolio once more he began to work on it again. By the time he looked up from the book again it was passed one thirty in the morning. Exhausted, Kurt went back to the basement and found Noah and Finn already asleep.

The next morning Noah left early to go back to his house and spend the day with Sarah. Finn had locked himself in the bathroom and Kurt had to use the one upstairs just to brush his teeth. Carole made breakfast and Kurt sat down to eat. He was done by the time Finn finally came upstairs to eat. Kurt excused himself and went back downstairs. He locked himself in the bathroom and got dressed for the day. Kurt then went back upstairs to help out in the kitchen. He helped Carole clean up and made room for all of her things from her kitchen. Finn went back down stairs to unpack the rest of his things out of all of the boxes downstairs. When he was done helping Carole he went back downstairs to get his things and go to Sam's house.

Finn was unpacking and shoving boxes in and out of the closet to try and make more room. The room was still a cluttered mess and Kurt was still surprised Finn could have so much stuff. Finn looked like he wanted to say something but Kurt ignored him in favor of getting his bag and school books. Kurt then took off without a look back. He took his dads car and drove to Sam's house where he spent the entire day. After all the tutoring the two friends just hung out. The two talked about a lot of things and Kurt had to admit he was glad to have Sam in his life. Since Sam knew everything he didn't have to hide anything from him. Kurt stayed as long as he possibly could before he knew he had to get back home.

So now Kurt was quickly getting dressed for a new day. He stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed and shook Noah awake. Once he was upstairs he made them some food to go and they were off to meet the guys.

"Sarah missed you yesterday" Noah declared before Kurt was able to put in his earphones.

"How is she doing?"

"She's super excited about the play. I promised her I would come, but she wants you to come too."

"When are they doing the play?"

"It's going to be on the 29th. Can you make it? It'll mean a lot to Sarah."

"I'll clear my schedule. I'd love to go" Kurt smiled.

It was the first smile Noah had seen out of Kurt since last Thursday night. The sight made him happy and the two both talked more about the play. Once they reached the school they joined up with the rest of the guys and began their morning work out. Once it was done Kurt talked to Artie about the video. Artie had worked on it over the weekend and told Kurt to check one more time if he wanted Artie to add anything else before they continued. Kurt said he would take one more look but that he was certain he had gotten everything the first time around. Kurt then took off to his locker to get his things for the day. Along the way he spotted Tina in the hall who seemed to be feeling much better.

"I take it we have a lot of sweater trends to look forward to this season" Tina said as she looked at Kurt's outfit while they walked down the hall together.

Kurt smirked but any reply he might have had was cut off as Karofsky came out of nowhere and pushed Kurt into the lockers.

"Are you ok?" Tina asked as Kurt watched Karofsky calmly walk away without a care in the world.

"Yeah… fine" was all that Kurt said.

They continued on and headed for the choir room together. They were the last two to arrive and Kurt took his seat by Mercedes. He didn't notice Noah watching him as he glumly sat down.

"Alright guys let's get down to business. First and foremost I would like to congratulate all of you on your amazing performances this last Friday night," everyone applauded. "Although Puck, Tina, you guys might have pushed a little too far at the end of your number."

"Hey the ladies weren't complaining," Puck declared. "I'm sure there were plenty of moms who loved it."

"Wow, what a catch. Cant believe I ever let you go" Quinn replied sarcastically, making Puck scoff.

"And now drum roll Finn" Mr. Shue began and Finn drummed rolled on his desk. "Because I have in my hand our competition for sectionals next month. First, the Acapella choir from the all boys school private school in Westerville, the Dalton Academy Warblers."

"OK hold up. Like a million awesome gay jokes just popped into my head" Santana laughed, making Kurt give her a glare.

He really wasn't in the mood for gay bashing being thrown his way at moment.

"And the other team to beat: The Hipsters. A first year club from the Warren township continuing education program. Now they are a glee club composed entirely of elderly people getting their GED's," Mr. Shue informed.

"Is that legal?" Rachel asked.

"How are we supposed to compete against a bunch of adorable old people?" Mercedes cut in.

"Are you kidding?" Noah interrupted. "Brittle bones. Give one of those old ladies a good luck pat on the rear; it'll shatter her pelvis."

"Moving on" Mr. Shue began, calming everyone down. "Since it seemed to get you guys jazzed about sectionals last year, I want to make this week our second annual boy vs. girls' tournament"

Everyone cheered except for Kurt who just shook his head. They had done this the year before and he was already dreading the awful assignment.

"Split up into two groups and figure out what songs you are going to sing" Mr. Shue instructed and then turned his back while he looked over some papers at the piano.

Kurt just stayed put in his seat, not paying attention, while everyone else got up. Rachel was already taking command of the girls' team with her emergency mash up list from her binder. Sam sat next to Kurt and began asking him his thoughts on doing an AC/DC melody with him on lead guitar.

"Kurt I'm going to say it again: boys' team" Mr. Shue called out without even looking back.

Kurt gave Mr. Shue a rather rude glare which he didn't even turn around to receive. Since he was a lot more comfortable with the guys he didn't have a problem being on their team. The only problem was probably going to be Finn but he could care less about what the quarterback thought anymore. He was brought out of his thoughts by Artie.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you had any ideas" Artie repeated giving Kurt an expectant look. "I was thinking about some of those _ideas _you mentioned in passing before."

Immediately Kurt knew Artie was talking about his portfolio. While he was grateful Artie was being more subtle than Mercedes, he was still uneasy about it. So Kurt just shook his head and stayed quiet. He really didn't care about the contest at all and just hoped this assignment would be over soon. Artie looked disappointed as well as Sam. The group continued to discuss ideas and they agreed to meet up after school to discuss ideas further.

Kurt then took off for Cheerios practice with the girls and changed into his uniform. Sue seemed even more brutal than usual and was yelling almost non-stop. Although the idea that her brutality was reaching new heights seemed impossible. But for whatever reason Kurt was glad for the extreme work out, since he was so busy with the routines that he was able to block out everything else. He changed back out of his uniform though as it was now coated in sweat. He freshened up in bathroom and was on his way to the lunch room when he was suddenly slammed into the lockers again by Karofsky.

"What is your problem!" Kurt shouted, fed up and losing his patience.

"You talking back to me?" Karofsky turned around and got up in Kurt's face holding up his fist. "You want a piece of the Fury?"

"The Fury?" Kurt asked in confusion, getting back up in Karofsky's face.

"That's what I named my fist" Karofsky growled out menacingly.

"Well, with that level of creativity, you could easily become assistant manager at a rendering plant!" Kurt retorted.

"I don't know what that is, but if I find out its bad, The Fury's gonna find you" Dave slammed his fist into the locker right by Kurt's head.

The jock stalked off leaving Kurt obviously shaken. Mr. Shue suddenly appeared out of no where and asked Kurt to follow him. Kurt sighed and did so going into Mr. Shue's office. He sat down and Mr. Shue passed him a cup of water as he sat down.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Kurt said as he picked up the cup. "This is my hill to climb alone."

"Can I be honest?" Will asked receiving a nod from Kurt. "I think it's getting to you. Usually this stuff rolls right off your back. But lately, you've been belligerent, angry, pushing people away-"

"Can I be honest with you? You and everyone else at this school are too quick to let homophobia slide. And your lesson plans are boring and repetitive. I mean, boys against girls? That doesn't challenge any of us."

"You mean because I wouldn't let you join the girls team?" Will shot back.

"I didn't try to join the boys' team" Kurt corrected. "You would have seen me already sitting with them if you had bothered to actually turn around. You didn't let me join last year so it was obvious it would be the same case this year. Not to mention since I've been spending so much time with Noah and Sam we've become good friends. And since Sam, Noah, and I started working out in the mornings with Matt and Mike, the guys are more comfortable around me so I didn't have a problem being on their team."

"_All except for Finn that is" Kurt corrected mentally._

"But, to answer your real underlining question; yes, I am unhappy. And yes, being the only out gay kid at this school gets me down. But most of all, I'm not challenged in the least here."

Kurt stood up and just walked out of the office. He didn't need a heart to heart with anyone right now. All he needed was to get out of Lima. Kurt skipped lunch and went to the library to work on his portfolio. He added some notes on his vocal range and put in some new song selections. When he heard the bell ring he took off for class again. He ended up having a test in French class to which he breezed through. Once the class was over he headed to the next.

"Kurt."

Kurt turned around and saw Artie coming up behind him.

"Hey Artie," Kurt greeted as he stopped in the hallway.

"Hey Kurt. Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course" Kurt nodded.

Artie ended up asking about this morning at glee club and the fact that he didn't even say anything. Kurt shrugged and said that after last year he wasn't looking forward to the assignment. But Artie pressed him into admit some ideas for the group. He already wrote down a bunch in his portfolio and Artie knew that. Kurt decided to at least make the attempt to participate and told Artie he would decide on a number to pitch. Kurt once again asked how the project was going and told him everything was underway. He still had to check in with Lauren on how the other footage was going.

With that he went to his next class and began to think of a number for the mash up. Anything he thought of he nixed just as fast he thought of it. He knew the guys would never sing Dianna Ross and frankly Finn couldn't do her justice anyway. Suddenly though he had an inspiration and as soon as the class was over he pulled out his portfolio and found the musical number he was looking for. It was something he had come up with last year and he thought the guys would like to give it shot. He put the book away and went to the A/V room to meet up with Lauren to see how the rest of the footage was going. So far it had been going perfectly and she even managed to dig up the footage from last year also. After thanking her for all her hard work Kurt went to the costume room behind the auditorium.

It took him a while to sort out what he would need for his idea and he put it all into a box. He didn't find everything he needed but he got enough to pitch his idea. Carrying the box to the class room he met up with Sam in the hallway along with Artie.

"What's all that?" Artie asked pointing to the box.

"My idea for a mash up number" Kurt stated happily.

"Need help" Sam asked.

"I got this but could you grab my bag? It's slipping off my shoulder."

Sam grabbed Kurt's bag and the three walked down the hall. Sam and Artie's curiosity were peaked as they wondered what Kurt's idea was and what was inside the box. All the other guys were already in the room and he put the box on one of the desks.

"OK now that we're all here we can start" Finn began.

"Actually if I may please" Kurt cut in. "I have an amazing idea for a mash up number."

Kurt opened the box and pulled out and held up a large hot pink and jet black feather boa.

"OK now for the number I have in mind; Bob Mackie feather boas are a must. And to sing the lead-"

"Uh Kurt" Finn stepped forward. "Um, no offense but we aren't going to beat the girls like this."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, already not liking where this was going.

"Last year we ended up deadlocked with the girls and this year we have to pull out all the stops."

"I know that" Kurt stated as if he was talking to a two year old. "That's why I came up with this-"

"Kurt," Finn interrupted him mid-sentence. "This contest isn't going to be easy for us to win. And we won't win if we're so predictable. I mean you in a feathered boa and a sequined gown is exactly what everyone expects to see."

"OK, who said anything about a gown?" Kurt retorted.

"What's your problem Finn? Kurt's just trying to help us out" Noah yelled.

"Yeah and you haven't even let him finish explaining his idea" Sam declared.

"Look Kurt" Finn said ignoring everyone else. "If you want to help us out, why don't you go and check up on what our competition is up to. Go checkout the Hipsters or see what the Garglers are up to."

"The _Warblers"_ Kurt corrected.

"Whatever" Finn brushed off. "We'll let you know what we decided to do for the number so we can rehearse and perform to beat the girls."

"Fine" Kurt stated after a moment of silence.

Most of the guys looked at each other not knowing how to react to the display in front of them. Kurt picked up the box and left the room. His calm demeanor not giving away any of the anger and annoyance he felt at the moment. He took off towards the auditorium to put the box back only to hear Sam calling him from down the hall. The blond ran up to Kurt looking at him with worry.

"Kurt, come back. Finn was seriously out of line."

"Forget about it. It doesn't matter, and I have better things to do anyway" Kurt replied as he began walking again.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to put this stuff back in the costume closet. Then I'm going to head home and work on my portfolio so I can make a copy of my section in it tomorrow so I can send it off Thursday."

"Then let's go some place to talk. Just you and me. We can go to the coffee house and relax and I'll take you back home."

Kurt agreed and after he put the box away he began walking towards the parking lot when his cell went off. He looked and saw a text message from Noah.

_Noah – where r u?_

_Kurt – I'm with Sam. About to go for coffee and cool off_

_Noah – u ok?_

_Kurt – yeah I'm fine. Want to join us?_

_Noah – cant… gtg to community service soon_

_Kurt – I'll see you later tonight then_

_Noah – OK but if u need me call_

_Kurt – Thanks_

Sam and Kurt walked into the café and went over to the section with the sofas. Kurt ordered a non-fat Mocha Grande and a sandwich since he had skipped lunch. While Sam ordered some pineapple juice and a sandwich for himself.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Kurt, you got to stop pretending nothing is bothering you" Sam declared, giving his friend a hard look.

"Well what do you want me to say? That the more things progress the more I feel like screaming? Or the fact that nothing seems to be stopping Finn and I from aggravating the hell out of each other? Or how about the fact that my dad and Carole are just a hop skip and a jump away from getting married and nothing in my house feels like home anymore?" Kurt sarcastically asked.

"Hey don't bite my head off Kurt" Sam pushed back. "You know I'm only trying to help. And as much as you act like everything is fine I know it's not."

"I'm sorry" Kurt let out a deep breath and looked away.

"It's ok Kurt. You were miserable yesterday at my house and you were miserable all day today whenever I saw you. I know we talked about it but I think you have to stop all of this Kurt."

"And do what? I can't stop now Sam. My birthday is next week and on Thursday morning I am heading straight for the post office and mailing my application in along with my portfolio."

"OK, let's slow down for a sec. Kurt, you have everything riding on this one shot to get out of here, and I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but what if you don't make it? And even if you do get accepted, I seriously doubt your dad will let you leave home to go live in New York."

"I'll cross that bridge if and when I get to it Sam. Right now if I don't keep moving I feel like everything is going to cave in on me and trap me forever."

"Kurt you can't possibly keep this up. It's been about a month and you're already breaking down" Sam insisted.

The waiter came by at this point and they both began to eat.

"Sam, I understand what you're saying, but I've come too far to stop now."

"It's your choice Kurt," Sam said finally. "But promise me something though, ok?"

"What?" Kurt asked a bit wearily.

"Promise me, that if you do manage to pull this off, you'll seriously think about it before you go. I know how rough you have it Kurt. But if you can't honestly find anything here that makes you want to stay, then I'll drive you to the airport myself."

Kurt thought about it and promised Sam he would seriously give it some thought. The two ate and talked for a long time until it was getting late and they had to go. Sam drove Kurt home and once they drove up to the house Kurt saw a bunch of men packing up tools and equipment. Apparently they had started work on the house already and were wrapping up for the day. Burt was talking with the man Kurt had seen the week before, outside in the driveway. Kurt invited Sam inside and they both walked into the house.

The living room was completely emptied off all the furniture. The men had started work on the addition but Kurt didn't bother to look at any of it. He just motioned for Sam to follow him and they went through the kitchen into the basement. Noah had gone to community service so the only one downstairs was Finn. He was sitting on the sofa playing Noah's 360. Kurt felt the sudden urge to grab the controller out the quarterback's hands and tell him to get out.

Finn ignored the pair, looking as if he was bored and annoyed all at once. Sam couldn't help but glare at him as he walked down the stairs. Finn could have made everything so much easier if he would grow up and stop being so ignorant. David was his brother and he had loved him unconditionally. They were family, and as far as Sam was concerned that was all that mattered. He could never abandon or turn his back on David for any reason.

Seeing how Finn was treating Kurt made him feel enraged. Sam didn't think he could ever understand Finn's attitude, or really anyone else's. It wasn't like Kurt was hurting anyone by simply being who or what he was born to be. Kurt only wanted to live his life, and Finn was making that more impossible. The rest of the world was already against him, and Kurt didn't need the guy who was supposed to become his brother against him as well. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he looked at the quarterback and sneered, in which he got one of his own in return.

"Sam could you give me a hand please?" Kurt asked, obviously not wanting an altercation at the moment.

"Sure" was all the blond said as he looked away from Finn.

"Artie asked me to look over my stuff one last time to see if there was anything else I wanted to add," Kurt explained as he grabbed his laptop. "Could you grab me the boxes? There in my closet in the corner."

"No problem" Sam said as he went into the closet.

Sam looked in the closet but he didn't see any boxes anywhere.

"Where in the closet?"

"In the corner on the left, right on the floor" Kurt repeated as he looked up from his laptop.

"But there aren't any boxes here" Sam declared.

Kurt got up and walked into the closet and looked past Sam. Sure enough there were no boxes in sight. Kurt quickly looked around in the closet but the boxes were all gone.

"But they were right here this morning when I got dressed" Kurt stammered as he looked around the closet.

"Maybe you moved them and forgot about it? Did you put them back in the attic?"

"No" Kurt said as he moved some hangers aside to look behind his clothes. "I don't get it. The two boxes were right here along with…" Kurt suddenly looked up with a look of comprehension on his face.

Kurt walked out of the closet and back to where Finn was still sitting on the couch playing games.

"Finn, what did you do with the boxes that were in the closet this morning?"

"They were just junk left over from the move. I put all of the boxes out with the trash this morning before I left for school."

"No!" Kurt yelled and took off up the stairs with Sam right behind him.

"What's wrong?" Finn yelled as he watched them run up the stairs.

Kurt ran back outside the house to the curb pushing past his father and the construction crew. Kurt stopped at the side walk only to see that the trash had already been taken, leaving nothing but empty trash cans.

"Dammit!" Kurt yelled and kicked one of the cans, knocking it into the street.

Sam wrapped an arm around his shoulder as his friend took a steadying breath.

"I'm sorry Kurt. I'm so sorry" Sam whispered.

"It's not your fault Sam. I told you" Kurt replied as he turned to look back at Sam. "There's nothing for me here."

"What happened?" Burt said as he walked up to the pair.

Sam didn't say a thing and gave Kurt's shoulder a squeeze, receiving a nod in return.

"Nothing dad" Kurt sighed. "I lost something is all."

The soprano shrugged and went back towards the house leaving his father outside, looking bewildered and worried. Sam was right behind him the whole way, not wanting to leave his friends side. Kurt sat at the edge of his bed, putting his face in his hands. Finn watched as Sam sat down next to Kurt and tried to comfort the smaller man.

"What's going on?" Finn finally spoke receiving a glare from the blonde. "What?"

"Nothing" Kurt answered as he looked away.

Kurt grabbed his laptop and began to shut it down.

"Sam, I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"If you need me to stay-"

"I'll be fine" Kurt said quickly.

"Kurt…" Sam pleaded. "You're not fine. You just lost the mementos you had of your childhood and your mother."

"I will be. I just… have to keep moving forward" Kurt responded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you guys talking about?" Finn insisted, sick of being kept out of the loop.

"Two of the boxes you threw out were Kurt's. They had photo albums and home movies of his mother" Sam informed giving Finn a dirty look.

Finn instantly looked mortified at the revelation and looked to Kurt for confirmation. Although the look on Kurt's face made it clear he didn't even want to look at Finn at moment.

"Sam," Kurt chastised as he saw his blonde friend all but ready to punch Finn right in the face. "Sam, I'll talk to you tomorrow. We can discuss the project with Artie and we should have everything we need already."

Sam obviously didn't want to leave Kurt alone with Finn but Kurt was all but telling him to get out. The last thing Kurt wanted was for the both of them to pick a fight and things to explode right now. Even though a part of him would have enjoyed Sam beating the crap out of Finn. Sam reluctantly nodded and stopped glaring at Finn. Finn watched as Sam and Kurt whispered things to each other so he wouldn't hear what they said and then finally Sam enveloped Kurt in a deep hug. Kurt returned the hug just as deeply and the two of them said goodbye.

-Scene change-

Artie was compiling the footage Kurt had given him for the music video into his computer. He had converted the VHS tapes into video files and was now running a program to enhance the video quality. Watching all these tapes of Kurt as a kid made him feel rather strange. He and Kurt had hung out only on occasion until recently and even then they never really talked about personal stuff. The footage he watched were probably some of the best and worst moments of Kurt's life in his younger years. All of Kurt's home videos gave him a new view on the soprano.

Although, even though Kurt came to him for help and had given him the videos and the photographs, he felt like he was somehow invading Kurt's privacy. He didn't know why Kurt was doing this since he didn't even seem to want to do it at all. When he had talked to Sam about he said Kurt wanted to try something new vocally. But that didn't explain why they were doing the music video at all. Or why some of the A/V club was following Kurt around video taping him. If Kurt wanted to expand vocally he could just sing the song for glee club.

This was something else entirely, but he didn't press the issue. Whatever it was, he hoped that Kurt would be happy with the outcome. Kurt really helped him out with Brittany and with working out and he wanted to return the favor. Speaking of which, he couldn't help but smile at the events from last week. The assembly in particular. Kissing his girlfriend on stage was probably the most amazing experience of his life. Although his parents wanted to have a 'talk' with him about what they had seen.

But, it had been worth it and the following evening he introduced Brittany to his parents. He was a bit nervous at first but everything had turned out all right. Brittany was so sweet she had won his parents over by the end of the night. Everything was just seemed like it was perfect, but he still felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. What he had told Tina was true when he said he was waiting for Brittany to wake up and see what a loser he was. As pathetic as that sounded he couldn't help it one bit.

Artie finished up the work on the footage for the night and then turned to his guitar. He thought about playing it for a while but he it was late and he didn't want to wake up his parents. Not to mention music wasn't something he wanted to think about at the moment. With the mystery of Kurt's music video and what happened today after school he wasn't in the mood for singing. Finn was seriously out of line, and all the guys made sure to let him know what they thought about him. He had encouraged Kurt to share his ideas with them and Finn had homophobicly smacked Kurt down for trying.

After Kurt had stormed off and Sam ran after him, it had taken all of the guys to hold Puck back from trying to pound Finn's face in. Artie pretty much told Finn to take a hike and leave, and in one of the quarterback's rare shows of intelligence he did just that. Finn stormed off and Puck finally calmed down enough for them to let him go. Puck had stormed off, leaving Artie alone with Mike and Matt. Seeing as how nothing was going to be accomplished the three all called it a day. He saw Puck in the parking lot texting and asked him if he was OK since he looked worried for some reason. Puck said he was fine, and he was trying to find out if Kurt was OK.

It was a surprise to see Puck care so much about Kurt. But to be fair Puck had been pretty cool since he had gotten out of juvie and started living with Kurt. Puck told Artie that Kurt was with Sam and that the soprano was fine at the moment. Artie was then caught off guard as Puck offered him a ride home. He gladly took the ride and the two talked a bit on the way. Nothing heavy really, just stuff about Super Mario Bros. once he had gotten home Artie just busied himself with homework other school work he had to brush up on. The teachers were already grilling them about midterms and he wanted to keep up his own GPA.

Now Artie was done with everything for the night and he was bored. He had almost called Kurt to ask for himself if he was ok but he figured Puck could look after him once he got home from community service. With nothing to do Artie just turned on his TV and decided to play some Halo. Maybe that would take his mind off everything for a while.

-Scene change-

Sam was lying in bed, trying to relax as he watched his DVD's of Torchwood. It was one of his and David's favorite shows. Sam couldn't help but smile at remembering how David used to blush whenever Jack and Ianto kissed on screen. The sight never failed to make Sam laugh. But despite the happy memories the blond still felt painfully sad. Today hadn't been a good day and he felt like a failure for not being able to help out his friend.

It took all of his self control not to go crazy on Finn after he had thrown out Kurt's family albums and videos. He couldn't believe Finn could be so cruel and insensitive. Whether he had done it on purpose or not still didn't change the fact that now almost everything of Kurt's mother was erased from existence. All Kurt had now was the few photos he had kept in his room and the video tapes and photos he had given Artie. It was just so wrong and his heart went out to Kurt. All he had of David was a few photos. He hadn't even been allowed to go to David's funeral to try and say goodbye.

When he had contacted David's parent's they were so angry with him he didn't even have a chance to explain what truly happened. At the time he was so fragile from the side effects of the pain killers he was on he had no emotional control and broke down crying hysterically. His parents had somehow taken this as proof of his being gay and in love with David. It was sickening to see how they could easily turn their backs on the truth and bad mouth David when they had treated him like a second son. David didn't deserve to be killed because of the way he was born. And he didn't deserve the witch hunt that had dragged his name in the mud after the fallout of what happened.

Now with what Kurt was going through at school and at home, he had to admit he felt a strong camaraderie with the soprano. He had lived the worst nightmare of sexual persecution despite the fact that he wasn't even gay. So he understood better than anyone why Kurt wanted to throw in the towel and leave. Sam admitted that he had it easier than Kurt since he wasn't really gay and didn't have to deal with the world being against him all the time. Kurt sadly didn't get the option of a clean slate. Even if he did leave, even if he could lose himself in NYC, there would always be someone who was prejudiced against him. For the moment all he could do is try to be there for his friend and hope things got better.

-Scene Change -

Kurt woke up and looked at the clock in clear disbelief. It was already time to get up but his body felt like it had only just went to sleep a few moments ago. After Sam had left yesterday, Kurt had locked himself in the garage working on his portfolio and so forth. His dad had called him in for dinner, which Kurt barely ate a thing. He just pushed his food around his plate and took a few bites here and there. Noticing his son's somber mood, Burt asked him what was wrong. Kurt said he was tired from such an exhausting day. But before Burt could press the issue Kurt quickly changed the subject and asked if he could borrow his father's car the next day. When Burt asked why, Kurt said he wanted to check out the glee clubs competition and go to Westerville.

Finn looked away guiltily and Noah just stayed quiet. Burt gave Kurt the car and a few minutes later Kurt excused himself and went back to the garage. Sometime later Noah came in and they talked for a while. It made Kurt feel a lot better to that Noah was trying to be there for him, but he was still unsure about how to act around the half back. He literally kept Noah at arms length and it had made the entire situation all the more awkward. Afterward, Kurt just concentrated on his work and tried to finish his section in the portfolio. By the time he stopped it was well into the night and felt completely drained.

As Kurt now finished getting dressed he went to Noah's bed to shake him awake like always. Noah and Finn both seemed to sleep like the dead and Kurt wondered if he should just dump a glass of ice cold water down on the jock. Once Noah was awake enough Kurt told him he was going to take his dads car and head out to school. Noah grunted in reply but nodded his head, indicating to Kurt he understood. Noah then got up and went to shower for the day as Kurt left the basement. Kurt drove to the school and met up the guys to begin their work out. Noah showed up just as he was opening the door to the gymnastics room. As the guys followed Kurt, Artie gave Sam a questioning look. Sam shrugged, knowing what Artie was trying to ask. He had gone off with Kurt yesterday but things didn't fare well and Kurt was usually so good at keeping his true feelings hidden, he couldn't ell how he was this morning.

"Hey Kurt," Artie spoke up as they entered the room. "Can we talk a sec?"

"Sure Artie. What's up?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. Finn was douche."

"Yeah, that was messed up" Mike declared with the rest of the guys agreeing.

"Thanks you guys. But don't worry about it."

"So what was your idea?" Artie asked.

"It was nothing" Kurt brushed off.

"Come on Kurt, you usually have great ideas" Matt said. "That three way mash up for the assembly was awesome. So what did you think of this time?

Kurt smiled at Matt; glad he was coming out of his shell enough to join in the conversation. So Kurt told them all his idea.

"Well remember last year when you all did that KISS number?" Kurt asked. "Well while the number was good I thought the lyrics left something to be desired…"

-Scene Change -

Kurt felt a little better after the work out. It was nice that the guys had gotten so comfortable with him and respected him enough to hear him out. Once he explained his idea and the inspiration behind it the guys thought his idea for a mash up was pretty cool. He didn't know if they were just humoring him or if they genuinely liked his idea. Either way it felt nice that they cared enough. All the guys said it would be a fun number to do and they were obviously shocked Kurt could come up with such a musical number. Hence why Kurt had to explain where his inspiration came from.

Still, it was nice of the guys to be so supportive of him. He had no idea spending time with them was having such a strong effect on them. It was nice that they all thought of him as more of a friend now, since before they all only had more of a passing acquaintanceship. A small smile spread across his face as he walked into the choir room. Mr. Shue had called them in for an important meeting at first period and Kurt wondered what was going on. Kurt sat next to Mercedes giving her a warm smile to which she returned.

"OK guys; listen up because I've come up with an idea to make our competition even more challenging" Mr. Shue began.

Kurt locked eyes with Mr. Shue for a moment, not sure if he was going to like where this was going. Obviously, their talk yesterday seemed to have made an impact, but whether or not that was a good thing he wasn't sure.

"I've decided to shake things up and give you all a theme to work on for the assignment."

"But we already got started on choosing our songs for the competition" Finn said.

"Look you guys, it's not like I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater-"

"Oh I've totally done that" Brittany declared in her usual way.

"Look, this is just an adjustment to your musical selections. Guys, from this moment on you guys are going to do songs traditionally sung by girl groups."

For a moment Kurt felt elated at the idea of doing a song traditionally done by women. But he remembered how Finn treated him yesterday and while he appreciated Mr. Shue's efforts he had already made up his mind about the assignment after school yesterday.

"And girls, try some classic rock. The Who, The Stones… the more opposite your choice the points you'll get" Mr. Shue finished.

As soon as Mr. Shue let them go Kurt simply bid the guys goodbye and took off to change his clothes. He was going to Westerville to check out the Warblers and if he was honest with himself he needed a break from everyone at the moment. As he was about open his locker he heard Finn calling him.

"Where're you going? We gotta work on our number?"

"I am going to check out our competition remember?" Kurt reminded Finn with a roll of his eyes.

"OK then meet with us after school and-"

"No."

"What?"

"I said no" Kurt repeated simply. "I'm not meeting with you after school. I'm not going to do the assignment at all. You can sing with out me."

"Look Kurt, I'm sorry about your boxes. I swear I didn't know what was in them. I thought they were just left over boxes from the move."

"This isn't about that Finn" Kurt stated as he turned around and opened his locker.

"Then what is it then?" Finn asked in his usual confusion.

"Finn, you made it obvious you don't even respect my ideas let alone respect me as a person. So why would I want to sing with you?"

"What is your problem?" Finn snapped. "I was just looking out for the team."

"Yeah sure," Kurt scoffed. "Last time I checked, I was a part of the team too and you weren't looking out for me. You didn't even let me share my ideas."

"Because you were just doing the same thing as last year. All of your ideas are totally…" Finn stopped short.

"All my ideas are what Finn?" Kurt pressed, already knowing what Finn was about to blurt out.

Finn looked as if he has caught between a rock and a hard place. He had already painted himself into a corner and Kurt piercing glare was giving him knot in his stomach.

"All my ideas are 'gay'?" Kurt said sarcastically. "Well then you should be happy Finn. Now you don't have to deal with my _gayness_ ruining your number. Although strangely enough, this morning all the guys asked me what my idea was and none of them thought it was gay. Unless of course…" Kurt stepped forward menacingly, making Finn back away. "I managed to infect them all with my homosexual condition and now their all secretly having strange homo erotic thoughts whenever they're in the locker room."

Finn looked completely unnerved like he was about to freak out. Kurt just turned around and slammed his locker closed. At that precise moment they both turned their heads towards the hall as they heard someone shout.

"THIS WILL NOT STAND!"

Coach Sue then began screaming as she tore apart the Principals office. Not wanting to get caught in the middle of her wrath Finn and Kurt both hightailed out of the hallway. Kurt stalked off towards the school entrance as the bell rang and was slammed into the lockers by Karofsky once more. Quickly shaking it off Kurt continued on his way to the parking lot. As he slammed the car door shut he let out a deep breath, trying to regain some control over himself. He soon realized he had forgotten to change his clothes and bit back a curse. Finn had distracted him from getting the jacket and blazer he had brought from home. He had looked up the Dalton Academy and saw pictures of their uniforms, so he had brought with him a similar outfit so he wouldn't stand out so much.

He had another set of clothes in his bag which would at least be an improvement over what he was wearing at the moment. Not wanting to go back inside Kurt put the keys in the ignition and started the car. On the way to Westerville, Kurt got stopped at a gas station to change and gas up. He also bought himself a large bottle of water to tide him over until he could eat. By the time he had gotten to Dalton Academy, lunch time was over and Kurt felt like hightailing out of there. The school looked pristine, almost like the inside of a large English mansion. As he was looking around he saw most of the students running off somewhere.

"Excuse, um hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here" Kurt asked as he stopped one of the students in the hall by the staircase.

"My name is Blaine" the student said as he offered Kurt his hand.

"Kurt" the soprano smiled and shook the student's hand. "So what exactly is going on?"

"The Warblers" Blaine replied. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. Tends to shut the school down for a while."

"So wait… the glee club here is kind of cool?"

"The Warblers are like… rock stars" Blaine replied with a huge smile. "Come on I know a short cut" he said as and took Kurt's right hand with his own.

Kurt almost blushed as Blaine took his hand. They ran down an empty hallways and Kurt couldn't help but feel amazed. He looked all around but never once became unaware of Blaine holding his hand. It felt strange yet wonderful, making his heart skip a beat. It wasn't until they reached the senior common room that Blaine finally let go of his hand, making Kurt exhale a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. Kurt stepped into the room, looking around at all of the students.

"Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb" Kurt declared shakily.

"Well next time don't forget you jacket new kid" Blaine replied giving Kurt a wink and a knowing smile, making Kurt smile in return. "You'll fit right in. Now if you will excuse me."

What followed next made Kurt's eyes widen as Blaine took his place with the Warblers and the music began to play. The Warblers began to sing an amazing rendition of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'. The room was swinging with the music and all of the students were eating it up. Kurt stared in awe as the Warblers sang, but most of all he couldn't take his eyes off Blaine. And as strange as it sounded it seemed like Blaine was signing to him, as Blaine would on occasion make eye contact with him during the performance.

-Scene Change-

Kurt was in the garage once more, going through his bag. Meeting Blaine had been quite an experience. It gave him a lot to think about. The stress from the previous few days had come up and he ended up breaking down in front of Blaine. After their talk they exchanged numbers and Blaine had to get back to practice with the Warblers. One the drive home Kurt couldn't help but replay everything that he and Blaine discussed. He hadn't told Blaine about his plan to leave, but Blaine had made it clear how much he regretted running away from his own bullies.

He had told Sam weeks ago that he did feel like a coward. After today he felt even more like one. But, could he really be courageous enough to stand up to Karofsky? Kurt pulled out his portfolio once more and began to work on it. But after a few minutes he closed it and just stared at the portfolio. It was the accumulated work of everything he had done in over year. Yet somehow after all his talks with Sam and now Blaine he didn't know what t really think about it.

Last year when he asked his dad about the scholarship, his dad had given him a resounding 'no'. Kurt didn't want to stay in Lima anymore. It was all too much for him to handle, and now it felt like everything was getting even worse. Now, a year later, the book in front of him had evolved into something more. After his father had told him no, he began to add everyone from the club in it and now as he stared at it he felt like it's existence was mocking him somehow.

Closing the book, he put it back in his bag. As he closed his bag his cell phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was Sam calling.

"Hello" Kurt answered simply.

"Hey Kurt. Is this a bad time?"

"No, I'm not doing anything right now. So what's up?"

"Finn told us you weren't going to sing the mash up number with us. Did something else happen between you two?"

"Not really" Kurt shrugged. "I made up my mind yesterday about not performing. The less interaction I have with Finn the better."

"Well the guys all made it clear to Finn we weren't happy about what happened. We spent most of the day arguing about it. But I managed to settle everyone down and we finally got working on our mash up. It's a good thing too since by the end of the day Rachel declared that the girls are primed and ready to go tomorrow with there number."

"How? Mr. Shue just changed the rules today. How could they have come up with a number so quickly?"

"Well after you took off the guys and the girls separated. According to what Quinn says, Rachel had them all skip class and they spent the entire day making costumes after they made their final song selection. Quinn wouldn't tell me what they are doing of course, but whatever it is, it's going to be damn good."

"I hope you guys can come up with something good then. If I know Rachel she is going to be out for blood. From what you guys told me about how she reacted after the assembly, I'm sure she is out to prove _she's_ the top gun of glee club."

"Once the fighting settled down we choose our song selections. I got Mike and Matt to start doing the choreography and I got Artie to mash up the songs. By the end of the day Matt and Mike came up with the dance moves so all we have to do is practice. Artie finished the mixing and he's fine tuning it tonight so we are going to be ready the day after tomorrow."

"That's amazing Sam. I'm glad you were able to bring the guys together."

"Yeah well, Finn _really_ didn't like me taking charge but he didn't have much of a choice with all of the guys backing me up."

"I can imagine" Kurt stated, knowing how much Finn saw himself as a leader.

"Is there any chance I could talk you into joining us? I don't like the idea of excluding you because Finn feels like being an ignorant hypocritical two year old."

"You're not excluding me Sam. I'm choosing to exclude myself. Besides being an ignorant, hypocritical two year old, as you put it," Kurt chuckled. "Finn doesn't respect me and I'd rather avoid a confrontation with him than have it all blow up in my face. Somehow no matter what, when it comes to Finn Hudson I'm always the bad guy."

"Kurt… I have to admit I wish I could pound Finn's face in for everything he's putting you through and how he is treating you. It's like one minute everything is ok, then the next he's a total asshole."

"Sam I appreciate that you care so much, more than I can put into words, but in the end _I_ have to deal with Finn."

"I know Kurt, and I know how important your plans are. I know you want your dad to be happy, but the thing is, you're not even taking the time to be happy for yourself. For weeks now you've been doing everything to make everyone else happy, but you've done nothing for yourself."

"Sam… can I ask you a question?" Kurt voice spoke softly.

"Sure."

"Sam… what if… what if I changed my mind about everything? What if I didn't try to leave?"

"Kurt, you know no matter what you decide, I got your back. I know we've only known each other for a few weeks, but in those few weeks you and I have been through a lot together. Between, what happened with the duet competition, and the football players, and so on… I think we've grown a lot closer."

"Well, we've been naked together, so if we got any closer you would actually be gay" Kurt joked making Sam laugh on the other end.

"If anyone knew we've been naked together I doubt they'd believe anything else" Sam bantered right back. "But I don't regret any of it Kurt. And I'd love it if you decided to stay. I'd miss you if you left. We would all miss you."

"Thanks Sam. Hopefully everything will turn out ok."

"I hope so too Kurt."

"Well, I should get going… I got some work I have to do."

"Kurt wait… there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is everything ok?" Kurt asked quickly, as Sam's somber tone made him nervous.

"Yeah, it's just… well about what Finn did. With throwing out your boxes and all."

"Don't worry about it Sam-"

"It's not that Kurt" Sam interjected. "It's just that… well with what happened it got me thinking a lot about David, and it… Kurt it really hurts that I never got the chance to say goodbye to David."

"It's never easy losing someone you love."

"I know Kurt, but I think you're still hurting as much as I am. I know what those photographs and albums meant to you. All I got of David now is a few photographs."

Neither said anything for a while as they let everything that had happened play over in their minds.

"You still there Kurt?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"So… I had this idea. Maybe you could help me say goodbye to David, and maybe I could help you do the same for your mom."

"I already said my goodbyes to my mom Sam" Kurt said.

"I know Kurt, but you were eight years old when it happened and you still miss her just as much. I thought… maybe if it's ok with you, that maybe… each of us could pick a song and sing it as a goodbye. We could go to the cemetery this Sunday and visit your mom and do it then. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a good idea" Kurt answered after a moment of contemplation.

"OK, then how about you sleep over at my place Saturday night and we can go early Sunday morning. That way we can still do all the tutoring afterwards and we can just relax for the rest of the day after that."

"Sounds like a plan then."

"Alright, so I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Kurt."

Kurt hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. With nothing left to do Kurt grabbed his bag and went back into the house. His dad was upstairs with Carole; their voices drifting down the stairs. He ignored them and went into the kitchen. He had skipped dinner entirely and had locked himself up in the garage since he had gotten home. When Carole tried to call him in to eat he had claimed he wasn't hungry and was working on school work. He made himself a small snack and ate in silence; enjoying the peace and quiet for the moment. When he was done he went downstairs only to see Finn and Noah arguing over the TV. Now that the living room had been cleared out, his room was the only one with a big screen TV in it.

"Enough already, the both of you. If you can't play nice I'll just have to take away your toys" Kurt declared as he reached the foot of the stairs.

The both of them looked over and saw Kurt looking at them with a bored expression on his face. Noah had found out about what happened with Kurt's boxes and now he seemed determined not to give Finn a single moment's peace. While Kurt appreciated Noah being so upset for him, he didn't want the two former friends to come to blows.

"Finn, you've been hogging the TV since Sunday, give Noah a chance to relax. And Noah, stop trying to pick a fight with Finn. I don't need to break up another brawl between you two. I've had enough of your bickering" Kurt stated giving them both a calculating look.

Noah looked like he was about to protest but Kurt obviously wasn't having any of it. Finn gave up the remote control and went over to his bed and began doing his homework. Kurt went over to the closet and grabbed a pair of pajamas and then went to the bathroom to change. It was still early but Kurt was tired and he didn't want to stay awake and deal with either Finn or Noah. So when he got out of the bathroom, he quickly pulled the privacy screen closed around his bed and grabbed his mp3 player. Since the assembly, Kurt had moved the privacy partition completely around his bed, encasing him completely away from Finn and Noah. Grabbing a book to read, Kurt curled up in bed and began to read until he fell asleep with the music still playing softly in his earphones.

-Scene Change-

Noah was awoken by Kurt's alarm clock. It was one of those clocks that you had to shut off immediately. If you didn't, the buzzing would get louder and louder until you finally did shut it off. He opened his eyes and saw Finn still drooling over on his bed, oblivious to the blaring alarm. Noah got up and wondered what was wrong since Kurt usually woke up the very second after the alarm began to go off. Opening up the partition he saw Kurt laying in bed with his earphones still stuck in his ears.

He quickly shut off the blaring alarm and looked back at Kurt. Kurt was sleeping peacefully on his back and a book of poetry was on the bed next to his head. His pajama top was open slightly revealing a part of his chest. Noah could help but stare at the counter-tenor. He had never really seen Kurt asleep since Kurt was always the one to wake him up, except that one time on they were curled up together on the couch. Looking at his friend now he couldn't help but smile. Somehow even in his sleep Kurt managed to look amazing. His hair was a bit wild but instead of looking like a bad case of bed head it looked like it had been styled that way on purpose. The pajama top didn't seem to fit him at all and the buttons looked like they were about to pop off. The top part had already come undone, probably due to Kurt tossing and turning as well as the pressure on the buttons. All of the hardcore workouts the past couple of weeks had definitely increased his muscle tone and strength. Yet regardless his short height made him look dainty.

Before he knew what he was doing Noah reached his hand out and touched Kurt's face. Kurt's skin was smooth, soft, and warm, and for some reason Noah could feel his heart begin to race as Kurt leaned into the touch in his sleep. The spell was broken however as Kurt turned on his side, away from Noah. Noah shook his head as if trying to shake off a wave of dizziness. He glanced over at Kurt's clock and saw they were running really late. He reached over and shook Kurt's shoulder until Kurt opened his eyes blearily.

Kurt blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to get into focus. For a moment he thought he was dreaming as he saw Noah standing over him wearing nothing but his underwear, in his usual morning glory. When he realized he was awake he didn't know if he should have blushed or cringed as Noah continued to stare at him as he laid there on his bed. Noah's eyes bore down on him and it almost made him feel as if he was completely nude before the jock.

"What are you doing?" Kurt finally asked.

He saw Noah's mouth move but he couldn't hear any of what he was saying. He shook his head only to realize he still had his earphones in as he heard the soft music of Chopin playing. Pulling them out he looked back up at Noah.

"Wake up Angel Face, we're seriously late."

Kurt looked over at the clock and his eyes widened in shock. They should have left to meet the guys almost a half hour ago.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Kurt asked groggily.

"Hey, I just woke up now since you never shut off your alarm."

"You go shower and I'll try and find something for us to eat quickly before we go to work out" Kurt stated as he pulled off the covers and stood up from the bed.

"What about you? Don't you need to use the bathroom?"

"Once you're done I'll just brush my teeth. I'll shower at school and ask Sam if he can keep a look out for me while I use the locker room. If I do it fast enough I'll be able to shower and get into a fresh set of clothes before anyone shows up."

"Alright, then I'll then I'll get in the shower now then. But, I'll leave the door open. Just come in and brush your teeth so you don't have to wait for me to be done."

Noah went to shower and Kurt bolted upstairs to find some food. He grabbed some yogurt and granola, putting a serving of each into a Ziploc bag. He knew they would need the energy for their work out and hoped they wouldn't be too late. Once he was done he went back downstairs and into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Noah had left the door unlocked as he said he would and as soon as Kurt walked in he felt like an idiot. He had promised himself to keep Noah at arms length and now he had just walked into the bathroom, while the said jock was completely naked only a few feet away.

Thankfully, the shower's glass door was completely steamed up which blocked out the view of his friends naked body. With a deep breath Kurt steadied himself and walked up to the sink and began brushing his teeth. He just focused on his task, pretending it was like being in the locker room at school, ignoring everyone around him and not looking at anything except what he was doing. Although, knowing Puck's ego, Puck would probably want him to look. As Kurt bent down do wash his face he heard the shower being turned off. Noah stepped out of the shower making Kurt quickly look away as the jock didn't even bother to cover his body. Finishing up, Kurt grabbed a towel and made to dry his face to block the sight of Noah standing behind him naked as they day he was born.

It was a relief when Noah wrapped the towel around his waist walked towards the sink to brush his own teeth. The look on Noah's face was all he needed to confirm that Noah had done all that on purpose. Kurt just rolled his eyes and went to leave the bathroom as the door opened. Finn stumbled in with his usual morning grace; only to stop short and look strangely at the pair standing by the sink together. Kurt ignored him and walked out of the bathroom and went into the closet to get changed. A few moments later Noah joined him. Kurt just put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed an outfit to change into later.

With that he grabbed everything he would need for the day and left the basement and went to wait for Noah upstairs. Once he came upstairs they both left as Carole came downstairs to start breakfast. They both bid her a polite goodbye although Kurt could tell she looked disappointed they weren't staying for breakfast. Kurt really hadn't done anything with Carole since she had moved in. In fact most of the time whenever he was home he spent it locked in the garage now. Last night Carole had asked him if he wanted to help her redecorate once the remodeling was done. Kurt politely declined telling her he was too busy with school and everything else to really help. He knew it was an olive branch she was offering. But Kurt honestly didn't know how he felt about helping Carole change everything in what he considered his home once upon a time.

Kurt just pushed it all out of his mind as he buckled himself in and Noah started driving. Kurt pulled out his helping of granola and yogurt and mixed it together. He began eating and looked out the window as the familiar scenery passed him by.

"You ok?"

"Yeah I am fine" Kurt responded and took another spoonful of yogurt.

"You've barely said two words yesterday at dinner and last night you looked royally pissed off" Noah countered.

"I'm just sick of you two fighting and bickering all the time. It's bad enough I cant even be comfortable in my house anymore with Finn around without you picking a fight with him every time I leave the room."

"I'm sorry, but he keeps pissing me off. And I can't believe he chucked out all of your moms photos and stuff" Noah growled.

"He didn't do it on purpose and I just want to forget about it" Kurt sighed.

"I don't get what Finn's problem is. Why is he being such a dick?"

"Noah, just ignore him, that's what I'm doing. If Finn wants to be a childish hypocritical jerk then let him. I have bigger things to worry about."

"I never thought I would hear you of all people say that. Last year you looked at Finn like he was your soul mate" Noah laughed.

"Don't remind me. I was an idiot for liking _Finn_ in the first place and I made a complete fool of myself. If I could go back and change it all I would. Or least make myself behave less like a stalker."

Noah actually laughed even harder and Kurt just shook his head and continued eating his yogurt.

"So how did it go yesterday?" Noah asked once he finally stopped laughing.

"How did what go?" Kurt asked confused.

"With that recon mission Finn pretty much dumped on you to get you out of the way. You said you went to check them out yesterday."

"Oh" Kurt exclaimed and smiled happily as he thought of Blaine.

Noah noticed the sudden change in his friend and wondered what he was so happy about. The last time he saw that look on Kurt's face was when he had tucked him in that night when Kurt fell asleep on top of him on the sofa.

"It went ok. I was caught but the guys were all really nice about it and they took me out for coffee."

"Are they going to be any real competition for us?"

"Well it depends on how we go at it. They have great vocals, especially Blaine, but I think we got them beat on the overall performance so we just have to kick things up a notch to stay on top."

"Who's Blaine?" Noah asked, eyeing Kurt's face.

"Blaine is the Warblers lead singer" Kurt stated simply.

"You're blushing!" Noah declared.

"I am not!" Kurt said as he turned his face away to look outside the window as he felt his face heat up.

Although, if he continued to look at Noah he would have seen the strange look pass over Noah's face.

"So who exactly is this Blaine guy?" Noah pressed.

"I met him when I was trying to spy on the Warblers. He's…"

"Is he gay?" Noah pressed feeling his stomach churn.

"Well yeah, he is" Kurt admitted.

"So you plan to ask him out then?"

"I only just met him yesterday" Kurt said quickly. "Besides, it's not like this is a Jesse St. James scenario. When we talked nothing about glee club ever came up. It was nice to finally have someone to talk to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noah actually sounded offended.

"I mean someone like me" Kurt explained although Noah still looked pissed off for some reason.

"Dude, I don't mind you telling me or talking to me about stuff."

"I know and I'm glad you don't freak out like everyone else does, but Noah… you're not gay. So even if I tell you stuff you still wouldn't understand it all" Kurt replied sadly. "And Blaine is a really nice guy. We exchanged numbers so hopefully we can talk even more."

Noah looked rather dejected but Kurt couldn't understand why. Noah was his friend but he wasn't gay and he wouldn't understand something about what that meant. He was just being honest, but maybe it had hurt Noah's feelings. Although why that would be Kurt couldn't hazard a guess. Noah turned on the radio and for the rest of the ride neither said anything. Kurt finished his yogurt and once they arrived Puck inhaled the yogurt and granola down and charged into the gym. They were only ten minutes late thankfully and Kurt quickly joined Artie at the free weights while glancing over at Noah who began to pump iron furiously.

"Hey Kurt," Artie greeted. "I thought you weren't showing up."

"Sorry, I overslept and Noah had to wake me up" Kurt explained as he grabbed the twenty pounders.

"I still can't believe you guys are living together sometimes" Artie joked.

"So everyone keeps telling me."

"Well no offense Kurt, but I figured by now Puck would be driving you crazy, by bringing massive groups of random chicks back to your room for some group action. Or just massive drinking parties where everyone gets wasted and the next morning no one remembers what they did because they are so hung over."

"Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into those scenarios" Kurt pointed out making Artie look away awkwardly.

"Well, that time I slept over at your place he… well after everything he said… well it sounded totally bad-ass" Artie admitted.

"Yeah, but my dad would kill Puck if he ever tried to do that at our house" Kurt informed.

The rest of the workout passed by and Kurt asked Sam if he could keep watch while he took a quick shower. Sam agreed and Noah said he'd help out which meant all the guys followed the sentiment. It was a bit embarrassing to have them all guard him while he was taking a shower but he felt a swell of deep gratitude at the guys. He had never been this close to any of them last year and he was happy they had all grown a bit closer. As soon as he was done he quickly got ready for the day hoping today he wouldn't get a slushy and ruin his outfit. By the time he was done with his hair and skincare they could already hear the students roaming the halls.

Everyone bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways. Classes seemed to be epically boring today. He thought about what the girls would be performing today and almost wished he was performing with them. He actually missed hanging out with Mercedes and the girls. Not to say that he didn't have fun with the guys but, he didn't have much in common with any of them outside of glee. Although he had to admit playing video games and working out were a lot of fun but he still wished he had time to go to the mall and get his fashion on. Saturday couldn't come fast enough in Kurt's opinion. Maybe they could ask Sam and Quinn if they wanted to join them since he was going to spend the night at Sam's.

The vibration in his pocket broke him out of his thoughts. Making sure the teacher wasn't looking he pulled out his cell and saw a text message from Blaine.

_Blaine – how r u doing?_

_Kurt – nothing happened so far today. I don't know if I can stand up to him honestly._

_Blaine – just remember 'Courage'_

Kurt smiled and put the phone back in his pocket as he was handed back his previous test paper. He saw Sam waving at him and looked over to sees Sam holding up his paper with an A- on it. Sam mouthed 'thank you' which made Kurt blush and hold back a laugh as Sam's huge lips made the sight rather comical. After class he and Sam went to the choir room to meet up with everyone else for the girls' performance. Mr. Shue was already there and the two sat down as they saw the band set up. The guys started filing in and began talking amongst themselves until Mr. Shue began his introduction of the girls.

The music began and the girls came into the room dressed like hot biker chicks. The guys all cheered and the girls began an amazing rendition of 'Living on a Prayer' mashed up with 'Start Me Up'. Rachel and Mercedes were amazing on lead and Kurt knew the guys were going to have to come up with something amazing if they stood a chance to beat them. In the middle of the performance Kurt got another next from Blaine which just said 'Courage' in it. It made him smile once more and his mood was lifting considerably. Mr. Shue began asking them about there song selection when Figgins walked into the room.

"William, I need to see you and Noah Puckerman in my office immediately."

Kurt looked worriedly at Noah who looked back confused. Mr. Shue motioned for Noah to follow him and Kurt hoped everything would be ok. As far as he knew Noah hadn't done anything wrong since he had gotten out of juvie. However Kurt knew that even if he didn't do anything Noah's bad reputation would always count against him.

-Scene Change-

Noah couldn't understand why he was being called to the Principals office. Ever since Kurt bailed him out he hadn't done anything wrong. He had been to busy and he knew he's be letting Kurt down if he got into serious trouble again. He saw Mr. Shue look at him questioningly but he just shrugged not knowing what any of this was about. As he walked into the office he saw his parole officer there looking over what was probably his file.

-Scene Change-

Sam left the choir room hoping Noah would be ok. Kurt looked worried and Sam gave him a pat on the back, letting him know he was there for him. The walked in silence down the hall to their next class when suddenly Coach Beiste walked up to them along with Ms. Pillsbury.

"Sam, we need you to come with us" Ms. Pillsbury told the blond.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, hoping noting had happened.

The last time he spoke with Ms. Pillsbury was when she came to tell him about his dad's heart attack. Kurt dreaded anything like that happening again, especially to a good friend of his. But if something like that happened why was Coach Beiste here? Sam asked what was going on and Coach Beiste just asked him to come with her and Ms. Pillsbury to discuss something. She sounded very disappointed. Sam felt Kurt give him his own pat on the back. Sam gave him a grateful look before taking off with the two faculty members leaving Kurt standing in the middle of the hallway.

Kurt felt his phone go off and checked it to see another text from Blaine.

_Blaine – COURAGE_

Despite everything going down Kurt smiled at the text. However his smile was quickly wiped away as Karofsky knocked his cell phone out of his hands and then rammed him into the lockers. Karofsky gave him mean look and then turned his back on the soprano and headed towards the locker room. Surprising even himself Kurt pushed himself off the locker and shouted out.

"Hey!"

He charged after Karofsky and burst through the locker rooms door.

"I am talking to you!"

"Girls' locker room is next door" Karofsky said as he opened his locker and pulled out a pair of sneakers.

"What is your problem?" Kurt demanded charging right up to Karofsky.

"Excuse me?"

"What are you so scared of?" Kurt pressed.

"Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?"

"Oh, yeah, every straight guy's nightmare that all of us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you. Well, guess what, ham hock? You're not my type!"

"That right?"

"Yeah, I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are going to be bald by the time they're thirty"

"Do not push me, Hummel" Karofsky ground out as he raised his fist to Kurt's face.

"You going to hit me? Do it."

"Don't push me!" Karofsky yelled and slammed his locker closed.

"Hit me, 'cause it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the ignoramus out of you!"

"I said get out of my face!" Karofsky yelled.

"You are nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!" Kurt yelled right back.

What happened next was the last thing Kurt expected. Instead of feeling Karofsky's fist smash into his face. Karofsky grabbed him and pulled him into a brutal kiss. Out of shock Kurt didn't push him away at first and Karofsky broke the kiss but still held onto Kurt. When he tried to kiss Kurt once more instinct took over and Kurt pushed the jock away. The look on Karofsky's face scared Kurt as he thought Karofsky was finally about to beat him senseless. Instead Karofsky stormed out of the locker room. For awhile Kurt just stood there, a mixture of emotions racing across his face.

-Scene Change-

"But this is garbage! I've been doing my community service!"

"Look all I know is that yesterday my office got a phone call stating that Noah Puckerman violated his probation and was not attending school any longer and that he moved out of his legal guardians' home. So we called the school first to verify whether or not he was still attending classes here" Noah's parole officer explained.

"I told the parole office that he was still a student here and when they asked us to fax us his records I found that Noah Puckerman has been skipping a large number of his classes." Figgins declared picking up several folders.

"Please Mr. Shue you gotta help me out here" Noah pleaded.

"Ms. Martin there has to be some way for Puck to make up for this. He's been a model student since he got back."

"Skipping school is hardly model behavior. When I called Puckerman's home his mother said he were no longer living at her residence. This being the case Noah Puckerman has violated his probation and will have to go back to juvenile hall."

"Oh screw that, I am not going back there!"

"Mr. Puckerman, calm down!" Figgins snapped.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You calm down!" Noah yelled and threw Figgins folders off his desk.

"Puck stop, this isn't helping" Will stood up and tried to calm the jock down.

Puck shrugged off Mr. Shue and stormed out of the Principals office.

-Scene Change-

"But I don't understand. I finally pulled all of my grades up. I even got an A- on my test" Sam declared not understanding what was going on.

"Well Sam I'm afraid there has been a problem with your test scores" Ms. Pillsbury tried to explain. "Someone stole the test answer sheet from the English teacher's desk. It was only reported yesterday since the teacher didn't notice until then. And since you had the highest score in class second only to Kurt and Rachel, and since your grades are usually at the bottom of the class you've been named the prime suspect."

"That's not true!" Sam denied. "I've been working really hard to get all my grades up so I can get off academic probation. Kurt's been tutoring me every Sunday for weeks and I've kept up with all my homework and assignments."

"That's true Coach Beiste" Artie said as he joined in, still not really understanding why he was called to this meeting. "Even I've been helping Sam a little bit with Chemistry. Sometimes right after our morning work out we go to the library and we cram together."

"Coach Beiste I swear I didn't steal those test papers" Sam pleaded looking towards his coach.

"Sam I believe you, but until we can settle all of this I have to cut you off the team" Coach informed sadly.

"But Coach Beiste that's not fair" Artie insisted. "Sam's been working really hard on his school work and on top of all that he's been training me, Mike, Matt, Puck, and even Kurt in the mornings to help us perform better on the field. We can't play without him."

"Artie its ok, you guys just make sure to kick ass next Thursday night at the game" Sam told his friend.

"Actually I'm afraid Artie wont be playing next Thursday either" Ms. Pillsbury informed sadly.

"What? Why?" Artie and Sam asked looking towards Coach Beiste.

"I got a call yesterday from the board; it seems I've been put under review for endangering a student's life. Until the matter is settled, Artie is cut from the team also" Coach Beiste said sadly.

"But that can't be. My parents signed all the permission forms for me to play and we even checked the rules and there were no rules against me playing" Artie insisted.

"The board is going to make a final ruling in two weeks while they review everything and until then I was told under no uncertain terms was I allowed to let you play" Coach Beiste told Artie.

"I'm sorry you guys but there isn't anything Coach Beiste can do. Sam you will have to retake all of your exams and if there is no significant change in the grades you will be reinstated to the football team and you can keep your grades up. All of your teachers are preparing everything and will be able to test you by the end of the month" Ms. Pillsbury said.

"But why can't they just test me right now. If I wait until the end of the month I'll miss out on a bunch of games."

"Yeah and this Thursday we need to win if we are going to make it to the championship" Artie agreed.

"I'm sorry guys but my hands are tied" Coach Beiste said looking rather upset herself.

-Scene Change-

Noah, not knowing what to do went to the auditorium to cool off. He didn't know what to do, but all he knew was they he was not going back to juvie. He stopped short as he heard a familiar voice on the stage. He edged closer and saw Kurt sitting on the edge of the stage talking on his cell phone.

"Thanks Blaine" Kurt sniffed. "This really means a lot to me. I'll meet up with you tomorrow."

With that Kurt hung up and wiped tears from his face furiously. Only they kept coming and Kurt stood up trying to steel his emotions. Noah watched silently, hidden behind the curtain as Kurt tried to sing but he kept choking and sobbing until he finally collapsed on the stage on his knees burying his face in hands. Not able to take it anymore Noah walked out and wrapped his arms around Kurt. However, the reaction he got wasn't the one he was expecting. Kurt jumped away from him looking completely terrified and back away from Noah.

"Kurt!" Noah yelled. "Dude it's me."

For a moment Kurt just stared at Noah, as if he was a scared wounded animal, before Kurt calmed himself down and let out a deep breath. Noah stood over him and offered Kurt his hand. Kurt took the offered hand let Noah help him stand up.

"Kurt what happened?"

Not wanting to tell his friend he shook his head and tried to walk away. Noah wasn't having any of that and grabbed Kurt, pulling the soprano to him. He asked again what was wrong but Kurt just shook his head and buried his face in Noah's chest not wanting to answer. Noah was about to press the issue until he heard someone call out.

"Puck!"

Kurt sprung out of Noah's arms and tried to wipe the tears from his face. Mr. Shue came out from behind the curtains stopping short as he took in the two teenagers before him.

"Kurt, are you alright?" William asked worriedly as he saw Kurt's face.

"I'm fine Mr. Shue" Kurt quickly said. "What's going on?" trying to change the subject.

Mr. Shue looked like he was going to press the issue until Noah decided to speak.

"I'm being sent back to juvie."

"What? Why?" Kurt stammered not believing what was happening.

"My parole officer said someone called her office yesterday and told them I wasn't a student here and that I wasn't living at home anymore. Now they're saying I violated my probation and I have to go back to juvie" Noah explained.

"Puck we have to get back to the office and see if we can work this all out with Ms. Martin" Will said.

"Noah I'll come with you. While you talk to your parole officer, I'll call Jason Brown and see if he can help. There has to be a way of fixing this mix up."

Kurt pulled his cell phone back out began looking for the lawyers number. Noah got a sick feeling in his stomach as he watched all of Kurt's walls come back. Whatever had happened he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon. Nodding, Noah followed Mr. Shue back to the Principals office with Kurt in tow. The meeting didn't go very well. Noah had to move back home since Kurt's father wasn't his legal guardian. But that only solved the probation problem. Figgins declared that since Puck wasn't attending classes he would have to go to summer school to make them all up and that he was no longer eligible to play football. But since he had so many classes even summer school wouldn't make them up and he would need to stay an extra year in school. So in other words Noah wouldn't graduate.

Mr. Shue tried to find a way to solve the problem but Figgins wouldn't have any of it. Neither Noah nor Kurt could believe this was happening. Noah stormed off after the meeting and Kurt hoped he wasn't going to do something stupid. He was about to follow Noah when out of nowhere Sam came up to them along with Artie. Apparently they had been kicked off the football team. They came to Mr. Shue for help but even he didn't know what he could do. Coach Beiste was on the verge of getting fired so she couldn't help at all. Kurt filled them in on what was going on with Noah and Sam told Kurt to find Puck. Kurt nodded and told them he would call them and keep them informed. Forgetting about his own troubles for the moment Kurt decided to concentrate on his friends.

-Scene Change-

Kurt found Noah in the parking lot and had to stop him from taking off. The last thing he needed was to keep skipping school. Kurt promised Noah they would find a way to figure things out and they went back into the school building together. It was lunch time and the guys all met up in the choir room since they had to practice there number for the competition tomorrow. By now Sam and Artie had filled in the rest of the guys on what was going on and none of them were happy needless to say. But Sam managed to pull everyone together and after a while they got to work on their number and Sam asked Kurt one more time if he would sing with them. Kurt said no but that he could give them a hand with the costumes.

Once Finn had the dance moves down everything was set and ready for them to perform. Noah went to his classes since he promised Kurt he wouldn't skip anymore. As for Kurt the rest of the day he tried to think of how all of this could happen. The only good thing that happened was that Karofsky was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day. After school Noah had to go to community service and he said he then had to go home and talk to his mom to see if she would let him move back in. Kurt took off to the garage since he had work today.

He couldn't find Mercedes to ask for a ride so he took the bus. Once he got to the garage he buried himself in his work trying not to think of everything happening. It seemed like no matter what, Noah was going to have to move out and the prospect made Kurt very sad. He actually liked having Noah around, and he would miss the jock when he left. What he couldn't figure out though was if Noah hadn't attended any of those classes he had skipped then how did he make it to junior year. By all accounts he should have been repeating grades or flunk out ages ago.

Trying to put the pieces together seemed impossible since he didn't have all the facts. He needed to talk to Noah to get his side of things. As soon as he was done at the garage he closed up and headed home. His dad was home over seeing the new addition to the house and as Kurt got there they had already left for the day. Finn was downstairs doing his homework, so Kurt went to his bed and grabbed his laptop. Not feeling like hiding in the garage anymore, Kurt went about doing his own assignments. He knew he had to talk to his dad but he wanted to wait and see what Noah had to say. Kurt hoped Noah's mom would let him back in the house.

When it was time for dinner Noah still hadn't shown up and Kurt was getting worried. His father asked where Noah was and Finn blurted out what had happened at school today in his usual tactless manner. Kurt told his father that Noah was probably at his own house, trying to talk to his mother. After dinner was over Kurt went to the garage for some privacy and called Noah. He was still at his house with Sarah. His mom and he were still talking things out but he said things were looking ok. So Kurt hung up and was about to go inside when his cell went off. He saw it was Blaine calling and picked it up.

"Kurt, is this a bad time?"

"No I can talk since I just finished dinner."

"How are you doing? I haven't heard back from you since this afternoon."

"Blaine, to be honest everything today has been a disaster. Right now I feel… completely lost."

"I'm so sorry Kurt. I feel like this is my entire fault. If I hadn't told you to confront him he wouldn't have done this to you."

"This isn't your fault Blaine. And to be honest I just feel sorry for him. We both know what its like to struggle with your sexuality. That's why I asked you for your help, maybe we can help him."

"I should be able to meet you in front of your school tomorrow before lunch. Will that be alright?"

"Yeah that should be fine. Thanks again for everything Blaine. It really means a lot to me."

"It's no problem Kurt. What's a friend for?"

"Thanks Blaine, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Kurt."

"Goodnight Blaine."

Kurt went back into the house took a shower. Somehow in a single day everything around began to crumble and he felt completely at a loss for how to fix things. As Kurt closed his eyes and let the water wash over his body, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Despite what was happening with his friends he couldn't keep from replaying what had happened in the locker room in his head. He could still feel Karofsky on him and no matter how hard he scrubbed he could still feel that horrible kiss. Kurt shook his head trying to get rid of the feeling, but didn't succeed. After he had spent enough time in the shower he dried off and got dressed. When he opened the bathroom door he saw Noah sitting on the couch instead of Finn.

"Noah," Kurt said as he walked up to the jock. "How did it go?"

"My mom says I can move back home tomorrow as soon as I get off community service" Noah answered as he stood up from the sofa and stood in front of Kurt.

"Noah… I'm sorry this happened."

"This wasn't your fault Kurt. If I hadn't skipped so many classes I wouldn't be in this mess."

"But that's what I don't understand Noah. If you skipped so many classes then how did you make it to junior year? Wouldn't you have already flunked out or something?"

"Coach Tanaka always just wrote us all excuse forms and took care of the grades for the starting squad. Once that was taken care of I just kept doing it" Noah explained.

"But, how did he get away with that? I mean it couldn't have been for all the starters. Finn barely even remembers what subjects he's taking most of the time and he was never even put on academic probation."

"Finn is too dumb to understand the way things work. Coach Tanaka probably got all Finns grades fixed and he doesn't even know it. Most of the guys on team took a bye on a few tests here and there but I just said the hell with it and let Tanaka give me a free pass for everything."

"Well I guess that explains why Figgins was so insistent on you having to redo all of your missed classes. If anyone looks too deeply into the records most of the football team would be on the same boat. So if you drop out or go back to juvie he won't have to deal with any of this. And now that the team is winning for once he doesn't want to rock the boat" Kurt surmised.

"Yeah, well at least Mr. Shue tried to help."

"And he still has his hands full. Artie and Sam are also off the football team now. That's three of the starters on the football team. Next week the team is sure to lose and if they do we won't be in the running for the championship anymore."

"Strangely enough I could care less. Even if I go to class now and go to summer school I still won't be able to graduate next year with you guys."

"There has to be someway of forcing Figgins into letting you off the hook. You might have taken a pass on all those classes but the school allowed it as long as you played football."

"Kurt forget about it. None of that is going to matter if I get sent back to juvie. Right now dude, I got to take care of that."

"I just can't believe you have to leave" Kurt lamented.

"Yeah… but this was supposed to be only for a little while. I was going to have to leave one way or another" Noah shrugged.

"So your mom said you can move back in?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, it took a while, and I had to promise not bring anymore trouble home but, she's willing to let me come home" Noah explained.

"Well, I'm sure Sarah must be happy for her big brother to come home."

"Kurt…" Noah said uneasily. "Look, what you did for me… I mean…-"

"It's cool Noah. You're welcome here anytime. I'll keep your bed ready for you for whenever you want to crash."

"Well… I think I'm actually going to miss your shower the most" Noah joked.

"Uh huh… and here I thought it was my cooking you were going to miss the most" Kurt laughed.

"Well I don't suppose you can whip me up one last meal then Angel Face" Noah asked coyly.

"Haven't you eaten already?"

"Nah, after community service I went to talk to my mom and it took a while."

"Well I'll fix you something then, but only if you do the dishes."

"Deal" Noah quickly agreed. "I'll start packing up my stuff and you can call me when everything is ready."

Kurt nodded and went upstairs and began making Noah some food. While he knew Noah wasn't going to stay forever that didn't mean he hadn't grown to liking him around. As he began to make something for Noah he heard Finn and his father in the living room. He figured that at least he didn't have to worry about Finn and Puck fighting anymore, but that still didn't make him feel any better. In one single day everything had somehow went from good to bad in a heart beat. How it all happened he couldn't understand.

Once he was done cooking he called Noah upstairs to eat. And set a place at the counter for him. Noah came upstairs and dug in with his usual gusto.

"I don't suppose you can sneak me a beer with this could you?" Noah asked with his cocky smile.

"Don't push your luck" Kurt playfully glared at him. "Did you finish all you're packing?"

"No, I still got some stuff in your closet" Noah said in between mouthfuls.

"Well how about I-"

"Hey" Burt said as he walked into the kitchen. "Finn said you got into some trouble at school today."

"Yeah, my parole officer found out I wasn't living at home so unless I want to go back to juvie I have to move back home by tomorrow" Noah said.

"Do you need me to talk to your mom for you?" Burt offered.

"That's ok Burt. I already talked to her and she said I can come back home as long as I stay out of trouble."

"Well, if you ever want to watch the ball game you're always welcome to come over" Burt declared as he gave Noah a pat on the back.

Noah thanked Burt but it was obvious he was still a bit uncomfortable with the father figure thing. Burt and Noah talked for a little while and Kurt gave them some privacy, so he went back downstairs. Thankfully Finn was still in the living room so he got a moment to himself. Kurt looked over at the bed and saw Noah's bags half packed on his bed. The sight somehow made Kurt feel even worse and made the fact that Noah was leaving more painful.

The soprano went to the closet and decided to help Noah pack while he and his father were upstairs. Grabbing some of Noah's clothes he brought them over to the bed. Seeing how Noah packed he wondered how he could fit anything into the bag at all. Taking everything out he began to fold Noah's shirts and jeans and divide them into two piles. By the time he was finished folding everything Noah came down the stairs. The jock took one look at the neat piles of folded clothes and laughed.

"Thanks mom" Noah joked.

"Oh stuff it" Kurt rolled his eyes. "You made a huge mess and nothing fit in your bags since you packed everything incorrectly."

"You didn't have to go to the trouble" Noah said as he threw his arms over his friends shoulder.

"It was no trouble" Kurt replied as he stepped away from Noah.

Noah felt his heart ache for some reason as Kurt easily dismissed him. He watched as Kurt went back into the closet and came back out with more of his clothes. He put them on the opposite side of the bed from where Noah stood and began to fold them up properly. Noah searched Kurt's face only finding it completely blank. With a deep breath he began to stuff his newly folded clothes into his bags, as he watched Kurt silently out of the corner of his eye. Ever since the diner incident, Kurt was treating him differently.

Only now it felt like something was seriously off but he didn't know what it was. When he had found Kurt today in the auditorium Kurt looked… defeated. The guy couldn't even sing and Noah knew Kurt enough to know that whatever happened must have been big. Especially for his friend to react like that. The only time he had seen Kurt so broken was when his dad had a heart attack and was stuck in a coma. Once Kurt finished folding Noah's clothes he was about to walk away when he heard Noah speak, stopping him in his tracks.

"Kurt."

Kurt looked up into Noah's eyes, seeing them checking him over as if searching for something.

"Kurt, what happened to you today?"

"Nothing happened, I just-"

"Kurt, you were breaking down in the auditorium when I found you. So you can't tell me nothing happened. When I tried to reach out for you, you freaked out."

"I don't want to talk about it Noah" Kurt pleaded.

"But you could talk to that Blaine guy" Noah snapped.

"Noah… that's… it's complicated" Kurt finally managed to mutter out.

"Then explain it to me Angel Face," Noah said. "You know I got your back."

"Noah… today… Karofsky…-"

Whatever Kurt was going to say was cut off as Finn noisily came down the stairs. With his usual tact Finn plopped himself down on the sofa and turned on the TV. Noah felt like grabbing Finn and throwing him out of the basement. His attention was brought back to his friend as he heard Kurt whisper to him.

"Can we talk tomorrow?"

Noah felt like pressing the issue but one look into Kurt's eyes and he relented. With a nod he and Kurt broke away from one another. Noah went back to finish packing and Kurt went behind the privacy screen.

-Scene Change-

Kurt and Noah piled into Noah's truck and headed to school to meet the guys. Kurt was avoiding Noah's eyes and neither said more than two words to each other since the night before. As if by silent agreement they both agreed not to talk, although it was awkward, Kurt used the opportunity to try and collect his thoughts. He was going to meet Blaine before lunch and he was already nervous about the upcoming confrontation. On top of that, Noah was going to pick up his already packed bags right after the performance lunch and move back home. Needless to say he was feeling rather somber.

As they parked Noah looked over at Kurt who looked as if he was about to walk down the green mile.

"Kurt, what is going on?"

Kurt looked over at Noah trying to avoid the intense gaze from his friend.

"Noah…-"

"Just talk to me Kurt!" Noah finally snapped.

"I cant" Kurt said and practically jumped out of the car.

"Kurt!" Noah yelled as he followed the smaller man.

Kurt tensed as he felt Noah grab his arm but didn't turn around. Noah didn't know what was wrong but he knew that whatever it was; it was huge.

"Look at me" Kurt heard Noah say into his ear.

Slowly, Kurt turned around and looked at his friend.

"What did Karofsky do to you?"

"I need to handle this in my own way Noah."

"Why won't you talk to me?" Noah pressed.

Kurt stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke.

"You still have to come home to get your bags right?"

"Yeah. After our number for glee at lunch time I'm going back to get my stuff. Since I got community service after school I can't pick it up after school."

"I'll meet you here after lunch then and I'll go with you."

Noah agreed and they then continued on there way to meet up with the guys.

-Scene Change-

Exactly when he promised, Blaine showed up and met Kurt at the front entrance of the school. After Kurt worked out with the guys Kurt had gone through the first half of the day thinking about what was going to happen. He had slipped on his mask of indifference and acted as everything was normal but it wasn't. Making it all worse was that Noah knew it wasn't also. He promised Noah he would explain but he had no idea how he was going to tell him what transpired with Karofsky yesterday. Now he and Blaine were tracking Karofsky down and he tried to focus on that only. He hoped the out come would give him some clue on how to deal and move forward with anything.

"Thanks again for coming."

"Don't worry about" Blaine replied as they went up a flight of stairs. "Just let me do the talking."

"There he is" Kurt stated as he saw Karofsky coming down the stairs.

"I got your back."

Kurt simply stayed quiet as he walked up to Karofsky. What happened yesterday felt like only moments ago as he looked at Karofsky now.

"Excuse me?" Blaine said as he walked up to Karofsky.

"Hey, lady boys. This your boyfriend, Kurt?"

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something" Blaine stated calmly.

"I gotta go to class" Karofsky pushed past the two and continued down the stairs.

"Kurt told me what you did" Blaine said stopping Karofsky in his tracks.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You kissed me" Kurt spoke up.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Karofsky replied as he looked around nervously.

"It seems you might be a little confused, and that's totally normal. This is a... a very hard thing to come to terms with, and you should just know that you're not alone" Blaine told the jock as he spoke from personal experience.

However this seemed to make the jock see red. Karofsky turned around and pushed Blaine against the wall.

"Do not mess with me!"

"You have to stop this!" Kurt demanded as he pushed Karofsky off Blaine.

Karofsky and Kurt stared at each other awkwardly for a brief second before Karofsky turned his back and walked away.

"Well, he's not coming out anytime soon" Blaine stated as he watched Karofsky slink away.

-Scene Change-

Glee had just finished and Noah was heading for the parking lot to meet Kurt. The number they did was great but the girls had them beat hands down. But all the guys pulled through and Sam reminded them of that. Finn of coarse tried to take back his position as leader and tried to give them some kind of pathetic pre-performance speech. No one was really buying it and half way through Sam cut him off. There was a lot of animosity among the guys, mostly aimed at Finn. But Sam seemed to really be pissed off at Finn and he had to admit he was also pissed at the jerk. Mr. Shue asked where Kurt was since he hadn't performed with them. All the guys were uncomfortable and didn't know what to say. Sam stepped up once again and said Kurt had to deal with some personal stuff and thankfully Mr. Shue didn't ask anymore questions.

Pushing these thoughts away he continued down the hall until Azimio threw a slushy in his face. Already in a bad mood Puck almost took a swing at the Azimio only to be held back by Sam and Mike. Sam forced him to walk away, knowing that if Puck got into any kind of trouble there would be hell to pay. While grateful Sam and Mike were looking out for him he was still pissed off. He went to the bathroom to clean off the red slushy but his shirt was still a mess. The parking lot was his next destination although he felt like going back and pound Azimio's face in. As he walked towards his truck he spotted Kurt standing by it along with some guy he had never seen before. One look though told him who this guy was; Blaine.

He was still in his school uniform which gave it away; along with the fact that out of all of the Dalton guys Kurt had supposedly met the day before, Blaine was the only one he had actually talked about. Noah watched as they talked and Kurt actually gave the guy a small smile. Kurt looked a lot happier at the moment than he had this morning. The two were saying something Noah couldn't hear but whatever it was made Kurt blush a bit. It was odd seeing Kurt act like this, and the fact that Kurt wouldn't explain anything to him about what was going on made him feel even worse. As he walked toward the pair Kurt finally noticed him approaching.

"Oh, Blaine" Kurt announced, cutting off whatever conversation they were having. "I want you to meet my friend Noah Puckerman."

"Puck" Noah corrected as he held his hand out.

"I'm Blaine, it's nice to meet you" Blaine responded cordially as Puck squeezed his hand a bit too hard.

"So… uh Blaine thanks for everything today. It means a lot to me."

"Anytime Kurt. If anything happens, let me know. We got to stick together after all."

With that they all said goodbye and Blaine got into his car and left. Noah watched as Kurt and Blaine kept eye contact for just a bit too long before Blaine walked away.

"You ready to go?" Noah asked a bit roughly.

Kurt only nodded his response and the two got into the truck and drove off. By the time they got back to Kurt's house, Kurt seemed more anxious than this morning. Burt asked why they were home so son and Kurt told his dad Noah had to pick up his clothes and shower before he could drop them off at home and go to community service. With that Noah walked to the basement closely following his friend until the both stood by his bed.

"I should take a shower to get this mess off me" Noah stated finally.

"I'll be here" was all Kurt would say as he tried to figure out how he was going to tell Noah what happened.

Noah grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and went to the bathroom. Ignoring all the noise coming from upstairs, Noah stripped off all of his clothes and got in the shower. Concentrating on the feel of the water, he began to lather up his chest. Scrubbing off the sticky residue from the slushy, Noah watched as the red dye mixed with the water at his feet. Next he began to wash his hair; or rather his Mohawk. After he had scrubbed his entire body he simply stood in the shower letting all of the shower heads massaged his body. He knew he had to go out and talk to Kurt but as much as he wanted to know what was going on, Kurt's behavior gave him a strange sense of worry. Finally, he turned off the shower and stepped out.

Quickly drying himself with a towel he slipped on his boxers and walked out of the bathroom. Kurt wasn't on the sofa or on Noah's bed, so the jock looked behind the partition and found the soprano sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. Kurt looked up as he felt Noah sit next to him. Noah looked at Kurt, still not knowing what to do or say. He finally broke the silence though as he couldn't take not knowing anymore.

"Come on Angel Face, it's just you and me. You don't have to look so freaked out."

"I don't know how to tell you this" Kurt said as he stood up off the bed and turned away from his friend.

Noah wondered what could be so bad that Kurt was afraid to tell him. After the weeks they had spent together they had been able to talk about anything. Suddenly he thought to the day before and stood up off the bed. Before Kurt could react he wrapped his arms around the smaller man, making him jump in surprise.

"Kurt..." Noah spoke softly, letting Kurt turn to face him as he still held Kurt against his body. "What was that song you tried to sing yesterday?"

Kurt only shook his head not wanting to answer.

"How did it go? _'Something someone missed…never been kissed'."_

"Noah… he took my first kiss" Kurt blurted out and took a deep breath.

"What?"

"Karofsky… he stole my first kiss" Kurt repeated.

Noah looked confused and Kurt explained everything that had happened the day before. About how he was inspired by Blaine to stand up for himself and the confrontation with Karofsky.

"I pushed him off me when he tried to kiss me again. For a second I thought he was going to… I thought he was going to try and hurt me but he stormed off completely enraged."

"Why didn't you tell me Angel Face?" Noah questioned as he held Kurt tighter, burying his face in Kurt's hair.

"I was… so scared Noah. I didn't know what to do so I called Blaine and told him what happened. I thought maybe… if Karofsky knew he wasn't alone with what he's going through he could get some help" Kurt explained. "So I asked Blaine for help and we went to talk to him today and get him to talk to someone."

"You actually tried to help that son of a bitch? Why?" Noah asked in shocked.

"Because, I know what it's like Noah. I know how it feels to be completely lost and confused about what you are. No one should go through that alone" Kurt stated.

Noah took Kurt's hand in his own and guided them back to the bed and sat Kurt on his lap. Kurt for his part forgot about keeping Noah at arms length and melted into the embrace, finding comfort in Noah's arms.

"Kurt, I got to ask… did he… did he do more than kiss you?"

"No" Kurt replied as he shook his head.

"But you said he stole your first kiss. I thought you said you made out with Brittany" Noah was obviously confused.

"Yeah I did kiss Brittany" Kurt explained and looked up into Noah's eyes. "But I mean a kiss that really counted. Last year, after what happened with Brittany and me having to look up all those things, I realized how important the small things are."

"I don't get it," Noah shrugged. "I mean it's just a kiss in the end."

"No Noah, it's not" Kurt corrected. "When I kissed Brittany it was all a big lie. Your first kiss is like a promise. A promise that someday you'll have someone who loves you in your future. Someone who you can share your life with. Now my first kiss with a guy was with someone who bullies me and forced themselves on me. What does that say about my future?"

"But Kurt, you can't think what Karofsky did means anything like that. When you find a guy and you kiss him it will be fine. Hell with the way you explained everything to me you'll blow his mind."

"It's not just about that Noah. I'm not talking about only the physical stuff. Remember when I was explaining about how I learned all that stuff last year?"

"Yeah I remember."

"Well, after I learned all I could I stopped completely because it all just got too depressing. I mean I tried watching 'those' videos and after awhile I had to stop. I kept thinking, 'oh my god these are someone's kids' or 'why would you get that tattooed down there?'. It's why I love musicals so much. Because, I want romance, and so far… the touch of someone's fingertips is as sexy as it gets for me."

Noah once again didn't know what to say. Kurt always had a way of putting things into a perspective he never thought of before. This entire situation was so completely unbelievable. He never once cared about people's feelings, let alone any of the chicks he had slept with. As soon as he got off it was over and that's how he liked it. But the way Kurt talked about sex or being intimate with someone made him feel strange. As he looked back on his experiences the only time he regretted leaving was when he had slept with Quinn.

"Kurt," Noah began as he looked deeply into Kurt's eyes. "That song you were trying to sing yesterday. Can you sing it for me?"

The request caught Kurt completely off guard. For a moment he thought Noah was kidding or joking but Noah remained completely serious. Noah gave Kurt a pleading look and Kurt began to sing.

_Now have you ever said_

_The things that turned you on_

_Felt worship and knew that you belong_

_Been good but knew something was missing_

_That something might be found in just a kiss_

_Let love take you, I bet you never_

_I wanted to make you, I want to bet you never_

_Bet there's something someone's missed_

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

_I bet you never, I bet you never_

_I bet you never, I bet you never ever_

_Bet there's something someone's missed_

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

Kurt's soft yet strong voice filled the room as he sang. For his part, Noah was completely mesmerized as he heard Kurt sing. His heart began to race as he looked into Kurt's eyes as they continuously changed colors from blue to green.

_You know you work me like a perfect piece of art_

_I want to hang you, frame you right here on my heart_

_Feel the places that you know you can't resist_

_There's nothing on that body that I would not kiss_

_Let love take you, I want to make you_

_Bet there's something someone's missed_

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

_I bet you never, I bet you never_

_I bet you never, I bet you never_

_There's got to be something someone's missed_

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

As he felt Noah's arms tightening around him, pulling him closer, Kurt almost stopped singing. Every rational part of his brain was telling him to stop and to get off Noah's lap. Noah had hugged him before, but this was nothing like that. This felt by far more personal, more… intimate. They were close enough so that Kurt could feel the heat coming from Noah's face. Yet as his mind was telling him to stop, he was no longer in any control.

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

_I wish you never, I hoping you never ever_

_If I had only one wish, it's that you've_

_Never been kissed like this_

_Let love take you, I want to make you_

_Bet there's something someone's missed_

_Bet you've never been kissed like this_

_I bet you never_

_I bet you never, I bet you never_

_I bet you never, I bet you never_

_There's something that was missed_

_I want to kiss you like this_

_If there's something you have missed_

_I'm just waiting for the one kiss_

The moment the last word was sung, Kurt felt Noah's lips on his. Both of their bodies responded on auto-pilot, giving in to what they both wanted from the other. The kiss was gentle at first, as their lips melded together. Then Kurt felt Noah's tongue, asking for silent permission to enter his mouth. He parted his lips and felt Noah moan into his mouth as their tongues began to dance together deepening the kiss. Kurt felt Noah's hand travel up his back until finally stopping with his fingers running through Kurt's hair. No one had ever touched him like this and his was hungrily demanding more. Becoming bolder, Kurt moved his tongue more aggressive. Noah was surprised Kurt was becoming more aggressive but with his experience he had no problem keeping up with him. Instinctively, Noah reached up to fondle a pair of breast only to pause in realization at who he was kissing.

"_I'm kissing a dude! What the hell!" Noah screamed internally._

"_What am I doing?" Kurt began to think franticly as he felt Noah pause. "I can't do this, he's my friend!"_

They both broke away, neither saying a word. Noah looked at his friend with a look Kurt couldn't place. As he tried to catch his breath he suddenly looked down. Following his lead Noah looked down and saw his erection pressing against Kurt's thigh.

"Uh… sorry" Noah said awkwardly as he let go of Kurt.

"It's ok" Kurt replied calmly as he slid himself off Noah's lap and away from the tent Noah was pitching.

"Give me a sec."

Kurt only nodded as Noah stood up and walked behind the partition to his own bed. He came back a moment later wearing a pair of jeans but didn't sit back down.

"Uh… Kurt look-"

"It's ok" Kurt declared, cutting Noah off. "You were trying to make me feel better, that's all."

"Uh… yeah" Noah quickly agreed. "Sorry about…"

Kurt blushed but smiled as Noah gestured downward.

"Let's forget about it" Kurt suggested to which Noah nodded.

"OK, but what are we gonna do about Karofsky? You cant expect me to just let him get away with this. I can drive us back to school right now and pound his face in."

"No!' Kurt jumped up off the bed. "Noah you cant do that!"

"Why the hell not? I should go and kick his ass for what he did to you."

"Noah if you do anything now you'll be sent back to juvie."

"So what should we do then?" Noah demanded.

"Nothing" Kurt answered. "I'm going to continue like nothing happened and so are you."

"Kurt, you're seriously going to let him get away with this?" Noah asked incredulously.

"What other choice is there Noah? It will be my word against his and I have no proof of what he did. And if you try to beat him up you'll get kicked out of school. You're already on thin ice as it is Noah" Kurt stressed.

Noah stayed quiet for a long time obviously thinking of other options. The soprano was worried, because he knew Noah wasn't the type of guy who would let things slide. Like last year when he slashed all the tires on the range rovers of Vocal Adrenaline.

"I'll make you a deal then… I wont beat the crap out Karofsky but only if you take those fighting lessons from Sam's uncle."

"What?" Kurt stuttered.

"And," Noah continued. "From now on you won't go anywhere alone. We can get all the glee guys together. We'll form a perimeter around you like the secret service."

"Noah" Kurt sighed not knowing what to say.

"Come on Kurt, if you don't want me to put Karofsky in the hospital you got to do this" Noah insisted as he crossed his arms.

"Noah, even if I take those classes I am never going to be able to stand up to Karofsky or those other Neanderthals. Learning martial arts takes _years._ And I'm not a fighter. I mean I like to practice with my sai swords and I even like watching kung fu movies, but that doesn't mean I have what it takes to be a martial artist."

"I know," Noah began. "I'm not expecting you to become Bruce Lee or something over night, that's why all the guys are going to be your body guards. And even if you aren't that good at fighting at least you'll be able to handle yourself better in a fight. With all the crap they throw at you, you gotta be able to defend yourself. Even last year when Azimio and Karofsky were going to beat you up in that Gaga outfit you wore, instead of doing anything you were going to just let them beat you up. If Finn and the rest of us hadn't shown up you would have gotten the crap kicked out of you."

"And what are we supposed to tell all the guys then? They're going to know something is up Noah, and I don't want anyone else to know what happened."

"We'll talk to the guys when we work out tomorrow. If they ask I'll tell them that Karofsky and the other guys have been going too far lately."

"Noah, I really appreciate the thought but I don't have time for martial arts lessons. I mean with Cheerios, Glee, school, and the garage, I barely have time for myself as it is."

"We'll talk to Sam about it, but either way you're going to take those classes" Noah declared clearly not going to budge.

Kurt simply nodded and Noah finished getting dressed. Helping Noah grab his bags they both put everything back in the truck. Noah thanked Burt for all his help and the two took off back to school. Kurt had Cheerios practice and Noah had to get to community service.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then" Noah said as he pulled up in front of the school."

"Thanks for everything Noah" Kurt said as he was about to open the door only to be stopped as he felt Noah grab his shoulder.

He looked back at Noah and waited for him to say whatever was obviously on his mind.

"Kurt… about the kiss-"

"Like I said it's ok. I know you were only trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it."

"Uh… yeah… but…-"

"Don't worry Puckzilla, I wont tell anyone" Kurt smirked and got out of the truck.

Noah watched Kurt's visage as he walked into the school building and disappeared.

"Actually, I wanted to say… you kinda rocked my world" Noah said aloud sadly to no one.

After a moment he drove off, more confused than he had ever been.

-Scene Change-

"You're late Lady," Sue announced as Kurt walked into her office. "And out of uniform."

"Sorry Coach, I was on my way to change when Becky said you wanted to see me."

"We need to have a talk Lady. It's time you choose whose side you're on."

-Scene Change-

"I thought you said you didn't want to be head cheerleader!" Quinn snapped as she stalked up to Kurt.

"Quinn-"

"I can't believe you would do this to me Kurt! You know how much this means to me. Now I'll never be prom Queen and everything I've done to rise to the top of this school has gone down the drain."

"Quinn I'm so sorry, but if you just let me explain-"

"Don't bother! I would have expected this from Santana, but not you Kurt. I can't believe you!"

Quinn stormed off, obviously about to break down in tears. Kurt tried to call her back, to try and explain but Quinn paid him no mind and left Kurt standing alone in the gymnasium. Practice was over and everyone else had already left. Everything was now officially out of control and Kurt knew he was in way over his head.

-Scene Change-

Noah couldn't sleep and tossed and turned in his bed. He had come back home right after community service, and while it was good to be back in his own room he had quickly grown used to the Hummel residence. Kurt made him feel at home and he was honestly sorry he had to leave. But, now he felt even worse about leaving. When he kissed Kurt it wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. What happened wouldn't stop replaying in his mind and he couldn't sleep. The whole thing was so surreal yet enticing. Whenever he closed his eyes he could almost feel Kurt's sinewy lips against his own. The way Kurt tasted and smelled was still with him. And when he felt Kurt's tongue in his own mouth, moving in sync with his own, it felt like something inside of him woke up.

"_He's a dude!" Noah yelled at himself inside his own head._

Unable to take it anymore Noah threw the bed sheets off his body. He stood up and grabbed one of his bags. He pulled out his 360 and began plugging it in. Since he had promised his mom he wouldn't be sneaking out at night anymore he couldn't go out to go to a bar and pick up a M.I.L.F. He also couldn't invite girls over anymore and seeing as how it was almost midnight he didn't even think it was worth the bother. With nothing else left he figured he might as well play some video games until he fell asleep. As he looked over his games his phone rang. Picking it up he saw it was Kurt calling. Hesitating for a moment Noah turned off his phone, letting Kurt's call go to voice-mail. Everything was too confusing to talk to Kurt right now.

-Scene Change-

Kurt hung up when he heard Noah's voice-mail recording, not bothering to leave a message. He would have to talk to Noah tomorrow. Kurt sat back in his chair and looked around aimlessly as he sat in the dark of the garage. Ever since he had gotten home he had locked himself in here trying to think of some plan to stop this nightmare. Determined to make everything ok he had tried to come up with a plan but nothing seemed to come together.

In the end he decided he needed help. Sam had called him, wanting to know what had happened since Quinn had spent a good amount of time crying in his arms after she left the gymnasium. He told Sam he would explain tomorrow and asked for his help. Sam quickly agreed knowing he could trust Kurt. Hopefully everyone else he had in mind would help too. One thing was certain though. Kurt was going to stop at anything to turn this around.

-Scene Change-

Sam and Artie were already waiting outside along with Mike. Kurt had jogged to school all the way from home. It was a long jog but he needed it to clear his head. Sam asked him what was going on but he forestalled any questions until Noah and Matt arrived. As everything stood he only wanted to explain everything once. Matt arrived a few minutes later and when they couldn't wait for Noah any longer they went into the weight room to begin working out. Noah came in about fifteen minutes into the workout looking as if he had been up all night. Kurt only hoped he hadn't gotten into any trouble since that was the last thing his friend needed. The half back went over to the bench and began setting up. He looked over and met Kurt's gaze. Kurt gave him a small smile which Noah returned, making Kurt feel more at ease. Strangely enough though, Kurt could swear he could feel Noah watching him a few times but never caught his gaze.

"Alright guys, there is something I need to talk to you guys about" Kurt announced as the work out ended.

"What's up Kurt?" Artie asked.

"I need your help," Kurt replied. "All of you. And this cannot leave this room. "

"Kurt what is going on?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to quit glee club" Kurt shocked them all.

"Wait, what? Kurt that's terrible!" Matt said.

"Yeah Kurt, that's not what we want," Sam agreed.

"That's the opposite of what we want, the glee club needs you to win." Artie joined in.

"Is this because of Finn?" Mike asked.

"Dude just say the word and we'll kick his ass!" Noah declared, making Kurt nervous about where this was headed.

"No, this has nothing to do with Finn" Kurt quickly cut them off. "This is something I have to do."

"Then Kurt explain it to us cause we know you love singing more than anything" Sam interjected.

"It's a lot to explain and I'm going to just not right now. But would it be ok, if we all meet up at your house tonight?"

"Yeah that's no problem," Sam said. "What time?"

"Well I still got dinner with my family tonight but I can show up around nine" Kurt answered. "Can the rest of you guys meet up at Sam house?"

"I'm free tonight but I'm gonna need a ride" Artie said.

"I can pick you up" Noah offered.

"Thanks" Artie replied.

"Matt, Mike, how about guys?" Kurt asked.

"I can come over and I can pick Mike up" Matt offered.

"Sam, I need you to get Quinn there too, we are going to need her help" Kurt looked over to Sam.

"She isn't exactly in the mood for a get together Kurt. She's really broken up over you taking complete title of head cheerleader."

"Wait when did that happen?" Artie asked looking at Kurt.

"It happened yesterday," Kurt informed. "Coach Sylvester dropped a few bombs yesterday. Hence why we need to keep this quite you guys. And I mean _really quiet._" Kurt stressed. "This isn't like what we always do whenever we here gossip and in one minute flat all of glee and the rest of the school knows. We need to keep this under wraps. Can I trust you guys?"

"Kurt we got your back" Noah said.

"Totally" Mike agreed.

"For real" Artie joined in.

"Of coarse I'll help you Kurt. I give you my word" Sam smiled.

"I'm in" Matt stated shyly.

"Thanks you guys, this means a lot to me. But Sam just warning you now, I'm going to try and get Santana in on this."

"Is that a good idea Kurt?" Sam asked worriedly.

"We are going to need her help too. I got something of an idea planned but I don't know how we can pull it off."

"An idea for what though. No offense Kurt, but you really haven't given us much to go on here."

"I know, and it means a lot to me that you're willing to help me out, but I promise I'll explain everything at your house tonight."

"OK, so then is that it for now?" Sam asked.

"No there's something else we got to talk about" Noah jumped in.

"Noah-"

"You promised Kurt" Noah reminded his friend, making him look away and the other guys look between them strangely. "So guys, here is what's up," Noah began. "Karofsky and the other football players have gone too far lately with bullying Kurt. So from now on I thought we could kind of do the secret service thing and form a perimeter around Kurt."

"Noah, you and the guys don't have to do this."

"Yeah we do Kurt, we can't let those buttholes get away with treating you like a piece trash" Noah insisted.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me" Kurt pressed.

"Kurt, Noah's right" Sam piped in. "Those jerks have gone way too far and the faculty seems them do it but don't do anything. We should stick together."

"Preach on" Artie agreed. "Kurt you stood up for me when everyone else just watched or walked away. And last year you even slushied yourself so Finn wouldn't get nailed. You were always the one to take the worst of it. I think its way passed time we gave back."

It was rather heart warming that all of them were so ready to go to the front lines for and Kurt was at a loss for words. It had only been over a month since they started working out together and spending more time together in school, but here they all were ready to fight for him. Maybe Kurt never knew how many friend he really did have. Kurt thanked them deeply and Noah told Sam that Kurt was going to join him for martial arts classes. Needless to say Kurt was becoming more uncomfortable with the attention. Noah thought it was actually rather cute but shook the thought away. Matt had class with Kurt first period and volunteered to walk with him. Everyone went their separate ways and Matt ended up surprising Kurt a bit by starting a conversation.

"Uh Kurt."

"Yes?" Kurt asked questioningly as he looked over at the nervous teen.

"I was wondering if… Can I ask you for some help?"

"Of coarse you can Matt" Kurt quickly replied.

"Well… I was wondering… do you know if Mercedes-"

"You want to ask her out" Kurt cut to the chase, actually making Matt blush a bit.

"Yeah" Matt admitted.

"If you want to ask her out, I say go for it. It's obvious you got the hots for her" Kurt joked making Matt blush even deeper.

"But Kurt what if she says no? I mean she's so… wow" Matt trailed off with a dreamily look on his face.

"_Wow, he's definitely got it bad" Kurt laughed inwardly._

"Matt, trust me, ask her out already. I don't know what you're waiting for, and if you don't ask now and take the chance it won't be long before some other guy realizes how amazing Cedes really is and asks her out instead."

"You really think I have a shot? I mean I feel like I should do something romantic like sing her a song in front of everyone in the cafeteria or something. But I can't play the guitar though and it would be a pain to bring out a drum set to the lunch room. Plus I don't know any romantic songs to sing with the drums."

"I didn't know you played drums" Kurt stated.

"Yeah, my dad taught me. He actually had a band in high school. But he gave it up when he went to college. He started teaching me when I was little kid. It used to drive my mom crazy."

"That's cool, although I agree a little romance wouldn't be a bad thing. Call me old fashioned but I was always the flowers and candy type of guy."

"Do you know what kind of flowers Mercedes likes?"

The two continued to talk and discuss a few ideas and came up with a plan. Matt was nervous but Kurt promised Matt he couldn't fail. Matt had glee club after school which would end up being the perfect time to do a song for Mercedes. Although, Kurt suddenly remembered he wasn't going to be there.

-Scene Change-

The kissing was rough and sloppy but Puck could care less. He knew he should be in class but he figured he was going to fail no matter what so it didn't matter in the end. Since last night he had been on edge and needed release. But what bothered him the most was the fact that he couldn't get the damn kiss out of his mind. He had played it cool this morning but couldn't help but watch Kurt as they worked out. And now he was in the closet with some random chick he had met up with in the hallway on the way to class. Not even bothering to get her name he had worked his charms and got her into the janitors' closet.

Now he was making out with her but he needed more. Not caring about the noise Puck broke off from her mouth and with a brutal motion he knocked all of the cleaning supplied of the janitor's cart. The girl made a noise of surprise as he picked her up and sat her on the cart. But any protest she may have made was cut off as she felt Puck's tongue once again being shoved down her throat. He felt her moan as he moved his hands up her tights and under her skirt. A moment later he had her gasping as he expertly moved his fingers over her labia over her underwear. He could feel her starting to get wet as he continued his ministrations.

She wrapped her legs around him, panting heavily, and pulled on Puck's t-shirt. Stopping for a moment to lift his arms up to let her pull the t-shirt off his body, he looked at her and felt a strange wave of disappointment. As good as it felt it wasn't as exhilarating as it used to be. Her lips on his neck didn't feel as hot as he hoped and he actually winced as she began to pinch his newly pierced nipple. It was still healing and it hurt like hell. Puck grabbed her by wrists and pulled her off, taking control once again. He pressed his lips against hers once more, letting his hands slide up her tights yet again. Only this time he pulled down her panties and began fingering her pussy.

She gave out a small scream in delight as Puckzilla worked her clit. As she moaned and squealed Puck could feel his erection straining to break free of his pants. Not having the patience to continue working her over, he undid his pants with his free hand. However before he could go any further she demanded he put on a condom. He didn't have any on him but she surprised him by grabbing her bag and producing one. Annoyed, Puck rolled it on, only just noticing it wasn't even his size as it was too tight around his dick.

Deciding not to care he grabbed her by the waist and rammed himself in all the way. Ignoring her gasp at the sudden penetration he quickly pulled out and rammed himself back into her pussy with a loud thwack. Again and again he repeated his actions, wanting to lose himself in coital bliss like he always had before. Yet as much as his body enjoyed it, it felt like a chore more than the fun it was supposed to be. When she began digging her nails into his back and biting his neck he had enough.

Wanting to end it he flipped her over on the cart and began pumping faster. She braced herself on the cart, her moaning mixing with the noise from the carts squeaking wheels. Puck felt himself about to cum only to curse as the condom broke. Not caring if she came or not he pulled his dick out and pumped himself the rest of the way. His cum sprayed all over her ass as he milked himself empty, and then peeled off the remnants of the broken condom. Pulling on his pants and then his shirt Puck contemplated asking the chick her name at least, but in the end he found he didn't care. Without saying a word he left the janitors closet, feeling more confused and hallow than when he first went in it.

-Scene change-

After his first class with Matt, Kurt took off for Spanish dreading what he was going to have to do. Kurt looked around and saw that Noah's seat was empty and he began to feel even more anxious. Noah shouldn't be skipping class, especially now with what was happening. Kurt let out a sigh and went back to his class work. As much as he wanted to help Noah he knew he shouldn't push the half back so hard. He had told himself he would keep Noah at arms length and yet yesterday he was sitting in his lap, kissing him passionately. He tried to call Noah last night but he didn't answer the phone. This morning he seemed fine though but now he wasn't in class. Kurt hoped he wasn't doing something destructive. The idea of seeing Noah back in juvie made Kurt sick inside.

Noah may have made a lot of mistakes, but he didn't deserve to locked away and lose any chance at a decent future. After spending so much time with Noah, Kurt could say first hand that Noah Puckerman was a good man, with a kind heart. Underneath all the bravado and attitude there was depth and warmth. It was sad that no one realized those things were there, not even Noah himself. Hopefully someday Noah would realize it too. But for now Kurt had to concentrate on the present if he was going to stop Coach Sylvester. He had been considering leaving glee club but he now the choice was taken out of his hands. The bell rung signaling the end of class and Kurt waited for the students to leave before he got up himself. He looked towards the door saw Sam outside waiting for him. Steeling himself Kurt stood up and walked up to Mr. Shue's desk.

"Mr. Shuester can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of coarse Kurt," William said as he put away his grade book. "You haven't shown up for glee this week and you missed out on the mash up competitions."

"Well I decided that I needed to do some soul searching Mr. Shue and I've come to an important decision. I'm quitting glee club."

"What?" William couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You love the glee club Kurt. Why are quitting?"

"I do love glee club Mr. Shue. But Coach Sylvester gave me the head cheerleader position and she has actually given me creative control for the halftime show, so I'm going to need to focus on that. And to be honest with you, lately being in glee club for me is like… being on Avenue Q, and I'm not going to take it anymore" Kurt said after a moment of thought.

"I don't understand" William was clearly confused.

"It's like when you're younger and you're told you're special only to realize as time goes on that that's not true at all. Because when you go out into the real world you have to face the fact that you're no more special than anyone else."

"That's not true Kurt. You are special and an important part of the team" William insisted.

"Come on Mr. Shue, let's be honest with one another. The only ones in glee club that are really special to you are Rachel and Finn."

"That is not true" William denied. "I care about all of you."

"I know you _care_ about all of us Mr. Shue, but Finn and Rachel are the only ones you really dote on. Rachel is constantly trying to bury the rest of us in the background and you never say anything about it. Whenever she doesn't get her way she simply throws a tantrum like a two year old until you cave in and let her sing whatever solo or number she wants. She even sent Sunshine to a crack house and you did nothing about it. I disagreed with you on the whole Brittney Spears idea and lost my temper once and for that I got sent to the Principal's office and was given a weeks detention."

"But Kurt-"

"That's not all Mr. Shue. You're always giving Finn more and more of your time. Helping him with his vocals and trying to help him with all his personal problems, but I don't see you doing anything like that for the rest of the guys in glee club. Last year when Finn thought he was going to be a father you stepped in and took him and Quinn to the clinic and you were constantly there for him-"

"Kurt, Finn was terrified of being a teen father and having a baby, and he didn't have anyone to help him through that" Mr. Shue stated.

"Yes you're right, but when it came out that Finn wasn't the father and that Puck was, did you do anything to help Puck?"

The question stopped William's argument cold.

"Puck was the one going to be a teen dad and no one even cared about what he was feeling or going through and he went through it all completely alone. Everyone was more worried about Quinn and Finn was in his own angry little world. When Quinn gave Beth away it ripped Puck's heart out and he still had no one there for him. This year Puck got sent to juvie and it was like no one really cared. But it doesn't stop there either. Puck isn't the only one going through problems. You spend so much time helping Finn you don't bother coach the rest of us anymore. I'm always working on my range and pitch so I'm ok, but what about the other guys. Mike doesn't sing at all, in fact he doesn't even bother pretending to lip-sync anymore. He might never be a professional singer but with some work he could do well backing us up in chorus. And Matt never even sung lead before until the assembly and he was amazing. He can easily take over male lead instead of Finn with a bit more work."

"Kurt, look I can admit I'm not the perfect teacher but that's still no reason for you to leave. Glee club needs you Kurt."

"Mr. Shue if things stay the way they are there isn't going to be a glee club much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that… everyone is more divided than ever. Quinn wears her Cheerios uniform and superficiality like a suit of armor and won't let anyone really get close to her. Artie now has body image issues because of how Tina dumped him for Mike. Santana is on the war path and is determined to take down anyone who gets in her way. Matt is so shy he doesn't even want to try to be in the spot light. Puck goes into a self destructive state whenever things fall apart on him. Sam and Finn are competing head to head over who the leader of glee is, and so on. They all need your help Mr. Shue."

"What about you Kurt? What's going on with you?" William pointed out. "Ever since the duets competition you've been a completely different person. I'm worried about you."

"I just need to find a place that I can shine Mr. Shue. Which is why… I have taken the position of Head cheerleader. Coach Sue offered it to me yesterday and I said I would take it. So with being head cheerleader and having to come up with new dazzling routines for the Cheerios I wont have time for glee anymore" Kurt informed as he straightened up his back.

"Kurt I'm happy for you but you don't have to quit glee club" William insisted.

"I'm sorry Mr. Shue but I'd rather put all my energy in a place were I'm respected and where my opinion matters."

Not wanting to prolong the conversation anymore Kurt simply said goodbye, leaving a crestfallen teacher behind him.

-Scene Change-

"Hey Kurt. We still down for tomorrow?" Mercedes asked as she saw him in the hallway heading for their next class side by side with Sam.

"Yeah, although I'm spending the night at Sam's so you'll have to drop me off there afterwards" Kurt answered.

"That's cool, do you want to come with us Sam?" Mercedes offered.

"Nah, I got martial arts training with my uncle all day. But thank you though" Sam smiled grateful for the invite.

"I cant wait, I've been needing a pedicure. Do you think we can find some outfits?"

"Mercedes by now you know I always find just the right clothes" Kurt smirked making Mercedes laughed.

Kurt's smile slipped off as he remembered what he had to tell his best friend.

"Mercedes, listen, there's something I need to tell you."

Mercedes instantly felt worried as she knew Kurt enough to know the look in his eyes meant bad news.

"Mercedes I quit the glee club" Kurt blurted out, wanting to get it out in the open.

-Scene Change-

As he sat down in the teachers lounge William Shuester felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Even as he replayed the conversation in his head he couldn't believe Kurt had quit. Out of all the possibilities he had imagined for the glee club he had never imagined this. Kurt loved glee. Anytime he sang and performed he gave it his all and was always determined to prove he was amazing. Now that he quit, he had no idea how the rest of the club would react.

Over the past month he had seen Kurt become more confrontational but he didn't say anything because he also saw Kurt make more friends. Before, William would usually see Mercedes and Kurt together. On a few occasions he would see Kurt with Tina or with Quinn and Brittany. Beyond that Kurt always kept to himself socially. The only time Kurt ever seemed to come out of his shell completely was in glee club. He had no problem being himself or expressing his ideas, even when Mr. Shue didn't agree with them.

Now whenever he saw Kurt in the halls he was either with Mercedes, Sam, or Puck. He and Mercedes seemed to have a natural bond since last year so it was no surprise to see the duo together. Yet it was surprising to actually see Kurt socialize openly with Sam and Puck. Sam was a completely new addition to the group but after the duet assignment he and Kurt seemed to strike up an instant rapport with one another. So much so that if Sam wasn't dating Quinn and constantly admiring her he would think the two boys were in a relationship.

Puck was an even more surprising addition to Kurt's private social circle. It was clear from the beginning the two only tolerated each other. However somehow the two ended up living together. How exactly that happened no one knew since neither Kurt nor Puck would really elaborate on the situation. However as the weeks went by and Kurt became more… confrontational, Puck amazingly become a much better student. Every now and then he would actually show up for class and he hadn't caused a single destructive prank or bullied any of the other students to his knowledge. Will had hoped that Kurt had somehow become a good influence on Puck and was glad the two had set their differences aside.

But while he was glad Kurt seemed to be making more friends his behavior was not something he liked. When he asked where Kurt was for the mash up assignment he knew something was wrong when all the guys took a while to answer. While Sam said Kurt had something personal to take care of he knew something had happened. One look at the guilt ridden face of Finn Hudson was all the confirmation he needed. He was planning on asking Finn today what was going on but instead before he had the chance Kurt dropped the bomb and quit. Even with what Kurt had told him his reason was, William still didn't believe what had happened in his class room.

"Hey Will, can I join you?" Emma greeted.

"Uh yeah sure" Will replied trying to clear his mind.

"Is everything ok?" she asked worriedly.

"Sorry, I just got a bad surprise earlier."

"What happened?" Emma asked as she slipped on her plastic gloves.

"Kurt quit the glee club this morning."

"Oh Will that's awful. Why would Kurt quit though? I thought he loved glee club."

"He said… he needed a place where he can really shine," William declared sadly. "I don't know how I'm going to break it to the rest of the club next period."

"Maybe you can talk to him and see if he will change his mind" Emma encouraged.

"To be honest I don't know if that will work. With everything he said… I don't even know what to make out of all of this."

"What was it that he said?"

So Will told her the entire conversation wanting her perspective.

"Will, do you think that Kurt had a point?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean last year you guys were the underdogs and now you're a real team. Quinn has a voice like an angel and Mike has dance moves that are to die for. You have a constellation of stars in that club and I would hate to think you're ignoring a lot of them just because they don't burn as brightly as some of the others. If Kurt felt like he was taken for granted or under-appreciated it's no wonder he took Sue's offer" Emma explained but stopped when she saw the look on Will's face. "Oh Will I'm sorry, I guess I said too much."

"No, you said just enough. Thank you" Will replied sincerely and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to try and fix the mess I made. I might not be able to talk Kurt into coming back but maybe I can do something about everything else."

-Scene Change-

Sam had been looking for Quinn but he couldn't find her anywhere. He knew she was taking losing the head cheerleader position hard but he also knew Kurt would never deliberately hurt Quinn just to climb up the social latter. Now with Kurt quitting glee he knew something big was going on and Sue was behind it all. That much was clear, and Sam knew Kurt was going to need all the help he could get. Quinn hadn't shown for lunch and she didn't answer any of his messages and now he only hoped she showed up for glee. As he walked through the door he saw Mercedes already there looking completely miserable. She hadn't taken the news well and Sam knew how she felt. The blond sat down next to her and gave her a sympathetic smile which the diva returned. They both knew glee club just wasn't going to be the same without Kurt anymore.

A few of the others came in and sat together. Matt sat next to Mercedes and Mike next to Matt. Noah came in next and sat down behind Mike looking like he was in a depressed haze. Sam asked if he was alright to which he only received a shrug in reply. Artie strolled in with Brittany and Sam was relieved for a moment to see Quinn walk in a moment after. Sam took her hand as she sat down next to him and gave it a comforting squeeze. Everyone else trickled in ending with Rachel and Finn walking into the choir room holding hands.

"OK, now that everyone is here we can start" Mr. Shue declared.

"Wait sec, Kurt isn't here" Tina cut in.

"I know, and I'm afraid I got some bad news for you guys. Kurt quit glee club today" Mr. Shue informed.

"Wait what?" Rachel exclaimed.

"But we need him to win regionals this year" Tina said.

Santana just rolled her eyes and Quinn's faced remained as still as stone.

"I'm sorry you guys, but apparently Kurt was offered the role of head cheerleader and decided that he want to concentrate on that."

"But how could he do that? He's supposed to be a part of the team!" Finn snapped.

Sam felt like getting up and punching Finn in the face. While Finn might not have been the reason Kurt left, Finn hadn't made the decision to leave any harder.

"Guys," Sam spoke up. "For now let's just be happy for Kurt and keep going forward."

"Happy for what? That Kurt bailed on us when we needed him?" Finn spat angrily.

"Last time I checked, Kurt's our friend no matter what and if he quit I'm going to respect that decision" Sam replied trying to keep his calm. "And we aren't going to get through sectionals if all we keep doing is pointing fingers at each other."

"I agree," Mr. Shue jumped in before Finn could say anymore. "This is why I've come to an important decision of my own. It's becoming increasingly obvious that some of you seem to be having issues with one another. So I've decided that we are going to resolves these issues with our next glee assignment."

"How are we going to do that?" Mercedes asked.

"It's simple really. I want you guys to choose a song that expresses what ever your feelings or issues you have with someone else in the club and without revealing who this person is you will sing the song in front of the group."

"But what's the point if you don't reveal who you're singing to?" Quinn asked.

"Well the group is going to have to guess who you're singing to. If the singer wants to reveal who the song is for they can reveal that and we can discuss it right here. If they don't want to admit who it's for then they have the option of keeping their feelings private."

"But then what's the point of all of this?" Rachel asked.

"The point is to get everything out in the open as much as possible. For the past month or so all of you have been doing is nothing but fighting. You guys aren't working as a team anymore and we're not going to be able to do win sectionals if things stay the way they are" Mr. Shue stated giving them all a searching look.

"That's not true Mr. Shue, Kurt was the one always starting everything" Finn declared.

"Ah hell to the no, you are not putting this on Kurt!" Mercedes shouted in outrage surprising a few of them with her strong outburst.

"He just dumped us so he could be the top of some pyramid and be popular when we need him the most" Finn retorted angrily.

"Finn is right; I can't believe Kurt just dumped us like this. He didn't even have the decency to face us himself and tell us" Rachel jumped to her boyfriends' defense.

"You are so full of crap hobbit," Santana snorted. "You're probably glad he's gone so you don't have to worry about one more person taking your spotlight."

"You don't even know what you're talking about. I welcome any competition so I can prove over and over again just why I am the best singer in this club" Rachel responded arrogantly.

"Oh you are so not going there," Santana stood abruptly making Rachel jump back in fear.

"Enough!" Mr. Shue yelled jumping in before a fist fight broke out. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. We can't go on like this anymore."

"But Mr. Shue Rachel's right. She's the best singer we have and even I know you don't take the star quarterback out in the middle of the championship game" Finn said.

"Easy to say when you're the star quarterback" Tina shot back from her seat.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Finn shot back.

"It means you're a hypocrite" Santana rolled her eyes.

"Totally," Noah joined in. "Kurt's signing was awesome and if you had listened to Kurt's idea for the mash up instead of being a homophobic jerk you would have seen his idea rocked. If Mr. Shue hadn't changed the assignment we would have one."

"Most definitely," Artie agreed. "Kurt's idea was tight, and it sounded like a blast."

"Kurt had a lot of great ideas. I wish I had gotten to do a lot of them" Mercedes said, thinking of Kurt's portfolio.

"Yeah, and Mercedes is amazing up on stage" Matt piped in for the first time, even surprising himself by speaking up. "Rachel isn't the only one that can sing."

"Everyone in here can sing except me" Mike joined in. "And I gotta say from my point of view I wish I could hear Tina sing more often. Most of the time it's only Rachel taking lead."

"Now look, I may admit that sometimes I may get carried away, but in the end no one here has been able to keep up with me vocally. Kurt tried and failed last time when he tried to sing 'Defying Gravity'. His performance was mediocre at best and no one else has even come close to my star potential" Rachel said in her in diva tone.

"That is not true!" Mercedes jumped in Rachel's face. "I am just as good a singer as you. And the only reason you won that diva off was because Kurt-"

"Mercedes!" Artie cut her off before she could say anything else.

Mercedes immediately realized her mistake and sat back down. However seeing the guilty look on her face everyone was able to piece together enough to know that she knew something big.

"Kurt what?" Rachel pressed.

Mercedes looked over at Artie who just shook his head. They had promised Kurt they wouldn't tell anyone about his throwing the diva off and Artie was determined to keep that promise. Sam already knew everything since Kurt had filled him in completely about last year and the portfolio. However neither Mercedes nor Artie knew about Sam knowing about it, or the reason behind Kurt throwing the contest.

"Alright, that's enough" Mr. Shue cut off Rachel before she could demand answers. "Kurt's gone now and we have to focus on the ones that are still here. Now I want you guys to cool off and get back to the assignment at hand."

-Scene Change-

Kurt was in the A/V room going over the footage with Lauren. It was rather disturbing watching the clips that had been recorded for this and the footage he asked her to look up and find. However, he had no options left and had to go ahead as scheduled. Artie had already done his part with the home movies and now Lauren was adding them to the footage they had collected. Now all they had to do was shoot the video on Monday and that would be it. After that Artie would just have to edit everything together and burn it into Kurt's disc.

Once everything was finalized with Lauren, Kurt left to get his books for class. The bell had just rung and the hall was already filled with students. As he grabbed his history book from and put it in his bag his locker was rudely slammed closed. Looking up a the offending party he was surprised it was Finn and not Karofsky or Azimio.

"How the hell could you this?"

"Get out of my face Finn," Kurt said as he turned away and began walking down the hall.

Unfortunately Finn followed.

"You quit glee club just to be head cheerleader. How could you abandon all your friends?"

"What did you expect Finn?" Kurt snapped turning to face his accuser. "Mr. Shue doesn't give me or anyone else the time of day, and I'm sick of it. Being head cheerleader will make me popular while at the same time make me an even bigger star."

"Kurt you don't need to be a Cheerio to be cool."

"You are so naive Finn. This entire school is about nothing but labels, and for once I want to be on top."

"I cant believe you could be so selfish and weak!"

"What did you say?" Sam's voice cut in, making Finn turn and see the blond and his girlfriend standing behind him.

"Mind your own business Sam, I'm handling this" Finn warned.

"Kurt's my friend so that makes it my business" Sam took a step into Finn's personal space. "What are you yelling at Kurt for?"

"I'm yelling at him because I'm the leader of this team."

"Well maybe it's time for a change at the top."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"This is kinda hot actually" Quinn declared as she stood next to Kurt, who looked like he just wanted to be anywhere else.

"It means, that the reason why everyone hates us is because we need some new leadership. Face it, you've had your feet in both worlds for a year and haven't been able to bring them together. Maybe someone else could."

"What? As in you?"

"As in yes."

"Well then maybe we should settle this right now."

"Bring it" Sam replied with a shove.

"Brung" Finn countered with a shove of his own.

Sam pushed Finn back even harder, with Finn responding in kind. Thankfully just before things got out of control Mr. Shue came and broke them up.

"Both of you my office now!" William shouted.

The two glared at each other as Mr. Shue escorted them down the hallway.

-Scene Change-

Rachel was stalking the halls on the prowl looking for her target. She was going to get the truth one way or another. Her instincts had been telling her something was going on with Kurt and now her suspicions were confirmed. Ever since Sam's birthday party her senses were on overdrive trying to piece together what she had heard. Kurt's pitch and key was the epitome of perfection. He had always been one the best singers in glee but what she had heard was like nothing before. Kurt had never sounded like that in glee club before. When he sang, Kurt was completely in control of his vocals and did all of the high notes perfectly.

It had been a year since their diva off, so she could have accepted the excuse of Kurt working on his vocals since then. That is if it wasn't for the fact that Kurt made it look so incredibly easy. The way he sang those notes as if they were no challenge at all was what made it so difficult for her to let it go. Kurt had completely upstaged her without even trying, or even acknowledging it. Then at the assembly Kurt, Mercedes, and Matt had put on an amazing performance. The number they had done was fantastic and it brought the house down. Yet, even more shocking was the fact that Kurt hadn't boosted about one upping her.

He hadn't said a single word to gloat which is what she would have expected of him from all of their previous encounters. She was used to begin taunted or teased. She was even used to others boosting, but she was not used to being completely dismissed and ignored. And if it was one thing Rachel Berry hated, it was being ignored. So she looked for Kurt in the auditorium only to find it empty. She had seen him earlier with his cheerios uniform on and checked the gymnasium only to find Kurt wasn't there.

She was about to give up when she spotted Kurt going into the library, surprisingly enough with Santana of all people. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Rachel snuck behind the shelves and tried to listen in on their conversation.

"What do I care?" she shrugged.

"Santana this is huge" Kurt whispered furiously.

"You're head cheerleader, why don't you deal with whatever?"

"This isn't about that" Kurt insisted.

"I got better things to do with my time and I'm already bored with this" Santana turned to walk away.

"Please" Kurt pleaded, making her stop. "Santana… if any part of you even has the slightest sense of camaraderie over everything that's happened to us over the past year then please, help me. I… we can't do this without you. If that's what you want to hear then fine I'll say it. We _need _you."

"What do you want?" Santana seethed.

"I need you to come over to Sam's place tonight, I'll explain everything there. Were going to meet there to try and come up with a battle plan, and I know are chances of getting through this would be a lot better with you on our side."

Santana thought it over for a moment before she agreed.

"OK, be there at nine, and-"

At that moment Kurt spotted Rachel spying on them over Santana's shoulder.

"You just can't mind your own business can you" Kurt stated at the diva, cutting Santana off.

Santana looked over her shoulder and saw Rachel eavesdropping.

"I want to know what's going on" Rachel stated as if she had every right to be there.

"This is none of your business Rachel" Kurt said trying not to lose his cool.

"I have every right to know what is going on. It's my duty to unsure that the glee club-"

"Don't start with that" Kurt interrupted. "This has nothing to do with the glee club and even if it did that doesn't mean we have to tell you anything Rachel. You're not the boss of us."

"You're planning something and I want to know what it is" Rachel demanded like a two year old.

"Get out of our grill hobbit, unless you want another beat down. And just so you know I got razors hidden all up in my hair" Santana threatened making Rachel take a step back.

"Rachel, just walk away and for once do the sensible thing and mind your own business" Kurt said, hoping this wouldn't escalate further since Santana looked like she was just itching for an excuse to beat the crap out of Rachel.

Rachel looked like Kurt had kicked her in the stomach and while Kurt felt guilty for his harsh treatment of the diva, he was also sick of being pushed around. Just because Rachel was talented didn't give her the right to boss anyone around like she owned them, and just because Mr. Shuester was willing to indulge her tantrums didn't mean he had to.

"Why did you throw the 'Defy Gravity' solo?" Rachel asked quickly trying to regain control of the situation.

It took all of Kurt's acting ability to hide his shock and surprise.

"What are you on about now?"

"Mercedes let it slip that you let me win the diva off. Why did you let me win?"

"Rachel, it doesn't matter. Like always you got what you wanted in the end and that is all that matters."

"I don't understand Kurt. After all that and you just-"

"Stop it! It doesn't matter now. It's over and I'm not even part of the glee club anymore so what does it matter?"

"Look can I just kick her ass and get this over with. I got better things to do then listening to you drama queens go back and forth about what song and dance numbers you didn't get to do" Santana declared, clearly not giving a rats ass about the ensuing revelations before her.

"Santana, I'll text you all the info and see you later" Kurt told the Latina in dismissal.

She rolled her eyes and stormed off pushing Rachel out of her way. Kurt ignored Rachel's probing look and stormed off in the opposite direction.

-Scene Change-

The rest of the school day had passed in blur of constant frustrating episodes. By the time the school day ended Kurt felt completely worn out. He tried to avoid the cafeteria so he wouldn't have a run in with anyone else. Sam had texted him and said he had talked to Quinn and that she agreed to come over tonight. Kurt breathed a little easier after that. He had bumped into Noah and he felt a strange mixture of concern and annoyance. Noah looked like he was in a daze and for a moment Kurt feared he something had happened. However once he saw the large hickey on the halfbacks neck Kurt figured he was just coming down from a post-coital high.

Seeing Noah that way reminded him of the kiss they shared. So he left Noah alone and hoped he could make it through the day without anything worse happening. Finn took every chance to glare at him in the hallways or in class, and Rachel looked like she wanted nothing more than to grab Kurt and shake answers out of him. He had a run in with Mercedes and asked about what had happened in glee. While Kurt was glad Mr. Shue had taken their talk to heart he was a bit annoyed with Mercedes for letting his secret slip. Thankfully he hadn't told her why he had thrown the diva off.

In the end though Kurt decided that it didn't matter. Keeping secrets wasn't one of Mercedes strong points. Last year when Puck told her the truth about the pregnancy she had told everyone else in the club, except Rachel. It was why Kurt hadn't told her about the reason he had blown the solo, as well as his plans to leave. He told Mercedes that it was alright and told her about Rachel tracking him down to demand a diva off to prove she was the best. They both had a big laugh at that and went to lunch together.

"So Kurt, I was wondering if you could help me pick out a new outfit."

"Mercedes I would love to. Is particular outfit going to be used to catch the attention of a certain shy but loveable football player?"

"I don't know what you're taking about" Mercedes denied unconvincingly.

"Oh come on Cedes, its obvious you have the hots for him. Why don't you make a move?"

"Kurt most guys in this school don't even know I exists. The last thing I want is to make a fool out of myself."

"Mercedes trust me; love is just around the corner."

"Sup homo" Karofsky taunted as he walked by their table, making Kurt nervous.

"I wish someone would teach that jerk a lesson" Mercedes glared at the jocks back.

"I have bigger things to worry about thankfully" Kurt sighed.

"Speaking of which how is Puck doing?"

"I don't know I haven't really spoken to him at all today" Kurt brushed said, not really wanting to talk about his friend.

"I saw him go into the janitor's closet this morning with some random girl. I don't see why he doesn't get himself a girlfriend already."

"Well that's his business. The last image I need in my head right now is Noah Puckerman and some random woman getting it on."

"What's wrong with you all the sudden?" Mercedes asked at Kurt's attitude.

"Sorry, I'm just having a bad day with everything that happened" Kurt said quickly.

"Well look on he bright side, its Friday so at least you have the weekend to relax. And tomorrow we are definitely getting our hair and nails done which is going to be such a blast."

The rest of the lunch time Kurt just listened to his friend and chimed in about what kind of clothes he needed to buy. In fact he needed to buy almost an entirely new wardrobe since most of his clothes didn't seem to fit him anymore. Ever since he and all the guys started working out in the morning his body had become a lot more refined and bulky. A lot of his clothes didn't fit properly anymore and he needed to buy some new ones. Although the prospect of buy an entirely new wardrobe for any reason was all Kurt needed to turn his frown upside down. The rest of the day passed as it usually did and as soon as the final bell rang Kurt took off for the garage. He had to ask his dad if he could go to Sam's place after the family dinner tonight as well as to sleep over at Sam's place Saturday night.

"Hey Kurt!" he heard someone call out to him as he was walking towards the bus stop.

He turned around and saw it was Sam.

"What's up Sam?"

"I just got off the phone with my uncle and he asked me how soon you wanted to start training with us."

"I'm not sure" Kurt shrugged.

"Well I was thinking since you're coming to my house tonight how about you sleep over for the weekend. My uncle and I start training early Saturday morning."

"But I got plans with Mercedes Saturday afternoon."

"Well, we start training at five a.m. and we finish around twelve" Sam informed making Kurt balk.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I don't expect you to join us regularly. Most of the early morning training we do isn't martial arts, but military training. You know, like push ups, sit ups, and so on. Then after that's done we have breakfast and head over to the dojo around ten. Then Uncle Dean teaches me martial arts along with Sifu Kojaro."

"Is that your Uncle's business partner?"

"Yeah, the school isn't officially opened yet so I'm the only student. They still have to draw up a few legal papers which will take a while. But they own the building were the school is going to be so we go there to train. It's actually pretty big so there's a ton of room."

"I can barely keep up with our morning workouts, I doubt I will be able to handle military training" Kurt doubted.

"I'm not saying to join us everyday, just this once. Plus all the exercise will be good for you. I think it's time to increase your workout routine. You've already gotten used to the weights and I thought it would be time to increase your workout routine."

"Well I wouldn't mind trying it but I promised Mercedes we'd hang out. We haven't spent anytime together for the last few weeks."

"What time do you have to meet up with Mercedes?"

"We haven't said yet what time, but Mercedes isn't an early riser so I was thinking of calling her to pick me up around one."

"Well that will give us plenty of time then. Once were done we can go back to my house and you can shower and change and then have Mercedes pick you up" Sam suggested.

"Well I guess I should have time. But I still have to ask my dad for permission. I'll send you a text and let you know. I have to catch the bus to work so I have to get going" Kurt informed.

"Want me to give you a ride?" Sam offered.

Kurt took the offered ride and thanked Sam for all his help. He really couldn't imagine not being friends with Sam at this point, and was grateful that despite Finn's attempt to keep them separate, they had overcome his meddling. The two about the training that would occur and Kurt had to say he felt apprehension creep upon. Gymnastics and dancing were one thing but actually learning how to fight was a different story altogether.

"Um, Kurt could I ask you for a favor?" Sam asked suddenly.

"What's up?"

"Well you know by now that assignment Mr. Shue gave us for glee?"

"Yeah, Mercedes mentioned it" Kurt answered.

"Well, I was hoping you could help me pick a song to sing. Since you're really good at song selections I thought you might be able to help me out."

"It depends on what kind of song you were looking for. I have a large song selection but in the end it depends on what you want the song to say."

Sam stayed quiet for a while and Kurt eyes surveyed the blond.

"I'll have to think about it" Sam said finally.

"Is everything ok Sam?" Kurt asked worriedly as he took in the look on Sam's face.

"It's not a huge problem… but well, I'll explain tomorrow once we get everything squared out tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah Kurt, it's cool" Sam replied.

Kurt let it go since he didn't want to press too far. Sam pulled up in front of the garage and the two friends said goodbye.

-End Chapter-

-Authors Notes-

Song used in chapter:

Kristine W. - Never Been Kissed: I looked all over for the perfect song for this chapter and I must say this was definitely it. I was so sad when I saw Karofsky take away Kurt's first kiss and I wished Kurt had sung this song in the real episode.

OK everyone, first and foremost I want to apologize for how long this chapter took. I almost lost the file when my desktop finally burned out. Thankfully I had a spare in my flash drive. But then I still had nowhere to really continue working on it. It was just one long line of problems after another. Well in any case I finally finished the chapter. Although I cut it short here because if I didn't I would probably keep you all waiting for another month. Besides this is the longest chapter I have written yet. And it was even harder than the rest since I closely based it off the episode. So hopefully I did a decent job and made everything as believable as possible. I really hope a lot of you review and let me know what you think.

Now as far as the characters go I hope I put in a lot more character development in this chapter. And yes Noah and Kurt finally kissed. However they still have a long way to go before either one will admit what they feel for each other. As for the other characters, next chapter you get to see a lot more of them. I'm having trouble writing out Coach Sue as well as the rest of the characters but hopefully I can come up with something passable.

On a finally note, in this chapter Kurt came up with a dance number specifically for the guys to do that he thought they would enjoy. Its not the Diana Ross number from the show but I thought it was something just as amazing. However I didn't put it in since I doubted anyone would believe Kurt would come up with such an outrageous musical number so for all you fans wondering what the number would have been I have included it for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think.

-OMAKE BEGINS-

The room filled up with applause as guys finished their mash up number and they all took their bows.

"Alright guys that was amazing. I have to say that was something I wasn't expecting. Now-"

"Uh Mr. Shue" Sam interrupted. "I know this is kind of against the rules but there is one last number?"

"Well each group is only allowed one performance Sam" Mr. Shue said.

"It isn't for the contest Mr. Shue" Sam tried to explain. "You see, you said the point of this lesson was to do the opposite of what we would normally do."

"Yes that's true" Mr. Shue confirmed still not understanding where this was going.

"Well before you changed the assignment Kurt came up with this awesome number" Artie spoke up. "And amazingly enough it was the exact opposite of what we would have expected him to come up with."

"So we talked it over and all the guys-"

"Except Finn" Noah interrupted Sam glaring at the quarterback.

"All the guys" Sam continued. "Got together and decided that we wanted to perform the number. So if you will all head to the auditorium, Kurt is already there and waiting for the rest of us."

"But that's not in the rules" Rachel insisted.

"This isn't for the contest Rachel, this is just for fun" Sam insisted.

"I have no objections" Mr. Shue agreed.

With that everyone took off for the auditorium and the guys took off back stage, with the exception of Finn. None of the guys had even told him about this. Since they had all agreed that if Finn was going to treat their own team mate so badly, that they wouldn't include him in the number Kurt had told them about. Kurt had been reluctant to do the number but Artie and the rest of the guys had talked him into doing the number with them up on stage. Kurt was already in costume and ready to go. Everyone quickly changed into the new costumes.

Mr. Shue like everyone else was wondering what exactly was going on. Mr. Shue however, along with Rachel took notice of the fact that Finn wasn't with the rest of the boys. When Mr. Shue asked him why he wasn't joining them Finn shrugged and said he didn't know what they were doing. Rachel asked how he could not know and Mr. Shue wanted an answer as well. It was obvious something had happened for all the guys to exclude Finn. Thankfully Finn was saved from answering anymore questions as the noise from the stage drew all the attention away from him.

A loud drumming beat began and the curtain was pulled back to reveal the stage. Matt was up on stage playing the drums a top of a platform. He was wearing the wig he wore for the KISS number but instead of the white make up like before, this time he was wearing an enormous amount women's make up making it look like war paint. Red fiery lipstick covered his lips, and alternating colors of blush in red and white covered his cheeks, along with an extreme amount blue eye shadow and mascara. He would have looked like a transvestite hooker if he wasn't wearing a pair of football shoulder pads. Although they too looked odd since they now had red and black spikes all over them and plastic red and black tassels hanging off them at the end.

The rest of the guys marched in along with the beat, dressed similarly to Matt but in alternating colors. Sam was wearing emerald green with black. Kurt was wearing hot pink, Mike dark orange, Artie was neon blue, and Noah was silver with all of them either wearing black leather ants or ripped jeans. To finish the look off each one of them was wearing a feathered boa with matching colors. Artie rolled himself out to the center and Noah and Sam marched up to his right and left respectively. Kurt ad Mike stood off to the side keeping up the stomping with Matt's drum beat. All three in the front Strapped on their guitars and began to chant out in unison.

_All:_

_Buddy you're a boy make a big noise_

_Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day_

_You got mud on yo' face_

_You big disgrace_

_Kickin' your can all over the place_

_Singin'_

_We will we will rock you_

_We will we will rock you_

The beat suddenly changed and Artie began to lead them all on guitar.

_Artie:_

_Oh We're Not Gonna Take It_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_oh We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

_Sam:_

_we've Got The Right To Choose And_

_there Ain't No Way We'll Lose It_

_this Is Our Life, This Is Our Song_

_Noah:_

_we'll Fight The Powers That Be Just_

_don't Pick Our Destiny 'cause_

_you Don't Know Us, You Don't Belong_

_All:_

_oh We're Not Gonna Take It_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_oh We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

As the music blasted through the auditorium the guys began to crazy on stage. The girls all started to cheer, even Rachel. Finn looked gob smacked at what he was seeing. He couldn't believe this was the number Kurt had come up with. Heavy Metal was definitely the last thing anyone would believe Kurt would want to perform, but low and behold Kurt was right up stage dancing wildly to the music along with Sam. Each whipping their wigs around like Brittany had taught them the year before and stomping about wildly, and basically going berserk before them all.

_All:_

_Buddy you're a young man hard man_

_Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day_

_You got blood on yo' face_

_You big disgrace_

_Wavin' your banner all over the place_

_We will we will rock you_

_Singin'_

_We will we will rock you_

_Kurt:_

_oh You're So Condescending_

_your Gall Is Never Ending_

_we Don't Want Nothin', Not A Thing From You_

_Mike:_

_your Life Is Trite And Jaded_

_boring And Confiscated_

_if That's Your Best, Your Best Won't Do_

William looked at the boys up on stage amazed by their performance. While the music was almost ear splitting the performance itself made that a good thing. All the guys up on stage looked like they were about to take on an army in their costumes and he wondered if that art was also Kurt's idea. He looked over at where Kurt was on the stage as he climbed up onto an amp and jumped off, sliding on his knees as he hit the stage floor his wig whipping about. A smile spread across the teachers face as it looked like Kurt was having a great time.

_Matt:_

_Buddy you're an old man poor man_

_Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day_

_You got mud on your face_

_You big disgrace_

_Somebody better put you back into your place_

_All:_

_We will we will rock you_

_Singin'_

_We will we will rock you_

_Ohhh….._

_Ohhh…_

_Matt:_

_We're Right!_

_All:_

_Yeah!_

_Noah:_

_we're Free!_

_All:_

_Yeah!_

_Artie:_

_we'll Fight!_

_All:_

_Yeah!_

_Sam:_

_you'll See!_

_All:_

_Yeah!_

_All_

_we're Not Gonna Take It_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_we're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

_we're Not Gonna Take It, No!_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_we're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

_Noah:_

_just You Try And Make Us_

_All:_

_we're Not Gonna Take It_

_Sam:_

_come On_

_All:_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_Artie:_

_You're All Worthless And Weak_

_All:_

_we're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

_Sam:_

_now Drop And Give Me Twenty_

_All:_

_we're Not Gonna Take It_

_Noah:_

_oh Crinch Pin_

_All:_

_no, We Ain't Gonna Take It_

_Sam:_

_oh You And Your Uniform_

_All:_

_we're Not Gonna Take It Anymore_

The song ended with a huge explosive bang from Matt's drums. Everyone stood up and cheered wildly while the guys drank up the applause. Finn looked at them up on the stage feeling an enormous amount of regret as well as anger at being excluded.

"Guys that was awesome!" Mr. Shue praised. "How on earth did you come up with this?"

"Well for that you got to ask Kurt since this whole thing was his idea" Noah answered, making everyone look at the soprano.

"Kurt?" Mr. Shue said looking over at said boy.

"Well last year when the guys did the KISS number, while the number was good I thought the lyrics left something to be desired. When you gave us the mash up assignment I wasn't even going to suggest an idea since last year the guys didn't like my ideas very much. But Artie encouraged me to come up with something so I tried to think of something the guys would want to do. I remembered our theatricality assignment last year and I tried to find a heavy metal song that the guys would like and the rest as we say is history."

"Kurt that was extremely creative, but would you explain the costumes?"

"Well Mr. Shue, Twisted Sister was know as a heavy metal glam band. When they performed they all wore make up and similar costumes. Plus the song itself seemed like it fit the glee club perfectly."

"I am very impressed Kurt," Mr. Shue smiled.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't be up here right now if it wasn't for all the guys encouraging me to do the number anyway. And I couldn't have done it without them."

"Aw" Noah teased and battled his eyes. "I think I'm gonna cry" he joked making them all laugh.

-OMAKE ENDS-

OK everyone I hoped you enjoyed that. The songs used were:

Queen- We Will Rock You and Twisted Sister - Were Not Gonna Take It


	11. Bonds Of Friendship, Grief, and Love

Title: Ask Me to Stay

Chapter Title:

Author: Ash Knight

Beta Reader: Jason Dragon

Pairings: KurtXPuck, SamXQuinn, ArtieXBrittany, FinnXRachael

Warnings: bad language, OOC, sexual situations, and violence

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs I use for this story.

Notes: Matt never transferred in my story but I still haven't decided how I'm going to use him. And Kurt never quit the Cheerios.

Summary: Fed up with the way everyone sees him, Kurt decides its time to leave Lima. With nothing to lose he starts to let everyone know exactly what he thinks unaware of the consequences. But when things reach a boiling point and he has to choose, will there be anyone able to give him a reason to stay?

-Begin Chapter-

Getting into his coveralls he began to think of everything he had to do this weekend as well as tonight. Kurt was going to talk to his dad about staying over with Sam but as soon as he walked into his office, he remembered his dad was over at the house overseeing the new addition to the house. With a sigh Kurt closed the door behind him and got to work. Finn was still at school so thankfully he had the garage to himself. It was unfortunately a slow day so Kurt had too much time to think. He had quit glee club and hurt his friends but he knew it was the only way.

Despite everything he knew it would be for the better in the long run, and while he didn't tell Mr. Schue the real reason why he quit, he hadn't lied about it either. While Mr. Schue's heart was in the right place his brain needed a wake up call. Because, even if he wasn't going to leave for New York he had actually considered quitting glee club before. With the way Finn kept treating him and the way Mr. Schue always kept ignoring everyone it took all his strength to last this long. Hopefully this was the wake up call Mr. Schue needed.

Although, now he had Rachel to worry about. He knew she wasn't going to let things go. Now that she saw him and Santana together it was obviously going to be a race of whether or not Kurt could pull everything off before Rachel found out what was going on and spilled the beans on everything. Rachel couldn't keep a secret, especially if she could use it to get things she wanted, and the last thing he needed was for her to try and twist his arm into something. He was just going to be even more careful until this was all over.

Hopefully tonight they could come up with some kind of plan to put a stop to it all. He knew he was going to need an amazing routine to wow everyone Thursday night at the game, but that was only half the problem. He needed to find a way to get Sam, Artie, and Noah back on the field where they belonged. If the football team lost the game they would no longer be in the running for the championship, which is exactly what Sue wanted. A part of him couldn't believe he was trying to take on Coach Sue, but like his father said, 'no one pushes the Hummel's around'. Kurt couldn't let her get away with hurting his friends, no matter what it cost him.

Rachel may be able to lie and manipulate people, but so could he. She had been right when they said they were very much alike, even if he hated admitting it. It was now just a matter of figuring out how to solve this problem. Noah, sadly, had to move out of the Hummel residence due to Sue's anonymous tip to the parole office. They had fixed the problem by having Noah move back home so he wouldn't be sent back to juvie. Even though he knew Noah had to leave and the living situation was never meant to be permanent, he was going to miss him.

Noah had become a part of the family and even his dad had started to warm up to him finally. When he had opened up his home to his former bully he had never imagined they would become so close so quickly. If someone had told him weeks ago that he and Noah 'Puck' Puckerman were going to become close friends he would have laughed aloud. But now he wasn't sure if friends were what they were. While he may have told Noah that he understood that the kiss they had shared didn't mean anything, other than Noah trying to make him feel better, he still felt unsure. The only thing he knew for sure was that the kiss was amazing.

It was everything he dreamed a first kiss would be. The feel of Noah's lips against his soothed him, making him feel things he never thought he would feel while living in Lima, Ohio. The entire situation was confusing, almost making him wish it had never happened. But perfect moments like that should never be regretted, and Kurt knew Noah had given him a gift he would always treasure. For a brief moment though he thought that maybe somehow Noah felt something for him, beyond friendship. That however was proven to be absurd when he saw Noah after their morning work out, sporting a hickey on his neck.

Maybe Noah not living together with him was now a good thing. They had gotten so close so fast, that maybe he was seeing things there that really weren't. After all, the disaster with Finn last year was proof enough for him to treat this situation with kit gloves. And he wasn't going to throw away Noah's friendship for some idiotic fantasy. The idea of Noah having romantic feelings for him was insane. Yet, he couldn't get those strange moments out of his mind. The moments when Noah would look sad or disappointed when Kurt stepped out of his reach or sat away from him.

Shaking his head Kurt tried to focus on the engine he was tuning. All these conflicting thoughts of Noah were making his head spin. It wouldn't do any good to lingering on them since he had much bigger problems than his romantic life. Or his lack of one to be more precise. As if by some strange coincidence his cell phone rang, making him smile as he saw the call name on the caller ID.

"Hey Kurt, are you busy right now?"

"I can spare a moment for you Blaine," Kurt replied quickly.

"I haven't heard from you since I took you lunch the other day. How is everything going?"

"Everything has gone back to the usual fanfare. Karofsky is still being a jerk but I'm just trying not to let it get to me."

"Well, if you ever need any help just call" Blaine offered.

"Thank you Blaine," Kurt's smile widened.

"Are you free this weekend? Maybe we can see a movie together and just hang out for a while."

"Oh Blaine, I'm sorry but I already have plans" Kurt regretfully informed. "I'm spending the weekend with a friend of mine and we got a lot of things planned."

"That's too bad, how about sometime later in the week then? We can meet anytime after school after rehearsals. Fair warning though the Warblers are going to bring it at sectionals this year."

"That won't be my problem anymore since I quit the glee club today."

"What? Why? Did something happen?"

"It's a long story" Kurt stated simply not wanting to rehash the day again.

"Well then how about we get together Monday night? I got rehearsal all this week after school but I was thinking we could see each other sometime after."

"Sounds like fun. I'll call you after I get home Monday night then."

"Great I'll talk to you later then."

Kurt hung up and went back to work. When he was done he washed up and headed home. He saw his father talking to the contractor and decided to go to his room before going to help make dinner. He was surprised to find Carole in the kitchen already starting dinner.

"Hello sweetie" Carole greeted as Kurt walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Carole" Kurt replied with a simple smile.

"How was your day?"

"It was… exhausting" Kurt sighed.

"Finn told me you quit glee club. Is everything ok?" she asked looking at Kurt with genuine concern.

"Everything is fine, I just needed to make some changes" Kurt answered with a shrug.

"Kurt, is something wrong? Your dad has been worried about you and so have I."

"Nothing's wrong" Kurt lied. "I've just been so busy lately that I barely have a moment to breathe."

"Kurt, I know I'm not your mother, but you should know you can talk to me if you need anything."

"Thank you Carole, but I'm ok. Finn is just being over-dramatic. The glee club doesn't really need me and I got enough on my plate as it is" Kurt tried to placate her.

"But Kurt you love to sing, I thought it made you happy."

"I do love to sing, but I can do that on the Cheerios, plus I don't really sing that much in glee club. Rachel and Finn are the ones who usually take the lead while the rest of us just sing chorus and sway mindlessly in the background. It's just not fun anymore."

"Well, that's too bad Kurt. You were amazing on stage. You should have seen the look on your father's face last week. He was so proud."

"Thank you, but don't worry, I'll still be performing at the halftime shows and pep-rallies."

"That's good to hear" Caroled smiled.

"Do you want some help making dinner?"

"Sure," Carole said. "Oh and Rachel is staying for dinner. She's downstairs with Finn."

"Oh," Kurt paused for a brief second. "I'll be up in a sec; I just want to drop my stuff downstairs."

Kurt went downstairs to the basement only to see no one there. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he looked around and slowly walked forward with a sickening feeling in his gut. A moan caught his attention behind the privacy screen and he instantly knew what was going on. With purpose he strode over to his bed and opened the partition. There on his bed were Rachel and Finn making out on his bed with Finn looking like he was about to shoot a load as Rachel caressed his body and kissed his neck. Kurt saw red and immediately grabbed the glass of water on his nightstand and doused the both of them.

"What the hell man!" Finn shouted angrily as he tried to wipe the water off of his eyes.

"Get the _hell _off of my bed!" Kurt shouted right back angrily.

"What is your problem?" Finn stood up towering over Kurt menacingly.

"My problem is that you're making out on _my _bed, you insensitive jerk!" Kurt retorted back.

"Sorry Kurt, we didn't think you were going to be home so soon and your bed has so much more room than Finn's" Rachel said, actually having enough decency to look at least somewhat remorseful.

"That doesn't give you the excuse to get it on in my bed. And you are changing those sheets" Kurt declared, pointing to the closet where he kept the extra sheets and comforters.

"Don't tell us what to do" Finn said. "If you want your sheets changed then do it yourself."

Kurt fixed him with a cold glare that actually made Finn take a step back. It was like that angry look Burt had given him the year before after he blew up at Kurt and used the 'F' word.

"Change the sheets and never touch my bed again Finn Hudson, or swear I'll make sure you regret it."

Finn looked like he was about to snap back at him until Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him away towards the closet. Kurt told her where the sheets were and dropped his book bag by his desk. Once she began to change the sheets Kurt went upstairs to help finish dinner. He hoped he would be allowed to stay with Sam for the weekend. He couldn't take being home right now, as it took all of Kurt's inner strength not to slap Finn right in the face just now. Sending Sam a quick text, he walked into the kitchen and began helping Carole with the meal.

As always, Kurt buried himself in the task at hand, as was his way dealing with things. With a quick and familiar efficiency Kurt and Carole had dinner finished in no time. Kurt was setting the table when he saw his dad come into the kitchen.

"That smells amazing" Burt said as he wrapped his arms around Carole and gave her a kiss.

"We're just about ready to serve" Carole giggled. "Kurt, could you let Finn and Rachel know its time to come up."

"Actually, I need to ask dad something real quick."

"What's up?" Burt asked.

"Well I was hoping you would let me spend the weekend at Sam's place. Sam invited me over since we have a bunch of stuff to work on this week for school and since I decided to try out some classes with Sam and his uncle, I thought it would be a good idea."

"I was hoping you could help me out at the garage. We got to do inventory tomorrow and I could use your help" Burt replied.

"Finn could help since he has to learn how to inventory anyway" Kurt suggested.

"I'm not sure he's ready for that yet, plus I thought he said he was busy tomorrow. Doesn't he have plans with his girlfriend?"

"Dad, I'm not asking for the weekend off to have a good time. I have to help Sam otherwise he'll be kicked off the football team and flunk out of class."

"Why would Sam get kicked off the football team? Weren't you tutoring him?" Carole asked.

"Yeah I was, and I still am. He passed all of his tests but someone stole the copy of the exams and since Sam's test scores shot up they think he cheated. So now he has to take an even harder test to prove he didn't cheat. If he doesn't take it their going to flunk him and he won't be able to play football anymore, which means the teams chances for winning Thursday nights game will be nil. If they lose they won't be in the standing for the championship anymore. So I have to help him pass."

Kurt felt guilty for using Sam as an excuse but he couldn't avoid it. He wasn't lying necessarily; he was going to help Sam, just not with tutoring, at least not completely. Everyone was going meet up tonight and he had to be there to explain what was going and come up with a plan. After a few moments of thinking Burt finally gave the ok, to which Kurt was grateful, but he said he still wanted Kurt home before Sunday night. Carole got Finn and Rachel while Kurt finished setting the table. Before he sat down Kurt sent Sam a text to pick him up in an hour. The faster he left the house the better.

Helping Carole serve, Kurt noticed the glare Finn sent him as well the uncomfortable look Rachel was displaying. It was obvious Carole and Burt were picking up on the tension but Kurt just acted like nothing was wrong. As far as Kurt was concerned Finn had no real reason to be mad at him. It wasn't any of his business that he quit glee club. If anyone had the right to be upset it was Kurt. Finn had been a complete jerk this entire week and now Finn had the audacity to use Kurt's bed for a heavy make out session.

Kurt sat down and ate quietly not really joining in on the dinner conversation. Carole was asking them how there week had gone. Letting them talk, Kurt simply let himself fade into the background. Or at least he tried to. Rachel brought up Kurt quitting the glee club which he did not appreciate.

"Why did you quit the glee club? I thought you loved it?" Burt asked.

"It's just not fun anymore. And I have a lot of class work and Cheerios to keep me busy" Kurt answered with a shrug.

"You're bailing on us just to be head cheerleader" Finn declared. "The club needs you and you rather spend your time doing somersaults than helping your friends."

Kurt once again felt like slapping Finn right in the face.

"Glee club doesn't need me. You have everything you need already to win. It's all about how you choose to use it. It's like good fashion. All you have to do is find the right fit. If you mix and match certain items you can make something truly original and amazing. It's what I always do to enhance my own wardrobe" Kurt shrugged keeping his cool composure.

Finn looked like he was about to say something rather rude but thankfully Rachel chimed in cutting him off.

"Nobody in the club except me has your range though. You'll be hard to replace. How do you practice?"

Rachel Berry had no shame it seemed, and Kurt couldn't believe her audacity. Like a pitbull with a chew toy she wasn't going to let the fact that he threw the diva off go.

"My range isn't that impressive," Kurt shrugged. "And I never really did lead before so I'm sure you got it covered."

Thankfully, Carole changed the subject and Kurt had a strong suspicion that she did it intentionally. Either way he sent gave her a smile in gratitude. The talk turned to the up coming football game Thursday which Finn seemed more than excited about, only giving slight mention that Puck Sam and Artie weren't going to play but he was sure the team would pull through. Drowning out the conversation Kurt focused on finishing his food. The moment he was done he asked if he could be excused so he could start packing for the weekend. Burt gave him the go ahead and Kurt took off back down stairs.

Once he was alone in his room he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Going away for the weekend with Sam was sounding like a dream vacation at the moment. As he headed for his closet thinking of what he was going to need, he suddenly remembered that he never printed out the song he wanted to sing for his mother. Kurt bolted for his laptop and sat on his bed looking up the music he would need. A while later he heard the doorbell ring. He went to answer the door only to see Carole already getting it. Sam was quickly greeted in and Kurt took him down to his room.

"Can you stay over for the weekend?" Sam asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Yeah, but my dad said I have to be home by Sunday evening for dinner."

"I can bring you back by then" Sam agreed.

"Can you give me a few minutes; I haven't really started packing yet. I forgot about Sunday and was looking up the music sheets for it."

"That's ok; we still have time to kill."

"I'll be ready as fast as I can. Could you grab the music sheets out of the printer for me please?" Kurt asked as he walked into the closet and grabbed his overnight bags.

He put the bags on his bed and began to sort through the clothes he thought he would need. He needed something to sleep in and something to work out in. but he didn't know what he would need for martial arts class. Kurt brought it up and Sam said they would give him a uniform, so he didn't need to worry about that. Kurt turned back to the rack of clothes and looked for a black suit to wear. Once he made his selection he found a pair of shoes and placed them on the bed. After a few more items of clothes were laid out on his bed he got a few changes of underwear and some socks. Sam asked him if he wanted to bring his laptop and the portfolio.

"I'll leave my laptop here since I won't really get the time to use it much. But, I'll take the portfolio. I want to add some things to my section before I make a copy of it. And I had some more ideas to add for the other sections" Kurt declared and brought out his portfolio from his nightstand.

"That's cool, want some help packing?" Sam offered.

"Could you grab my smaller bag? I need it to put my toiletries in. I left it in the closet."

"Sure" Sam agreed and went to grab Kurt's bag.

As he came back they heard the door open and Sam saw Kurt tense as Finn and Rachel came down the stairs. Kurt turned back to properly folding his clothes; ignoring there presence. Sam handed him his bag and Kurt turned away from his clothes and walked over to his vanity table, to take what he would need for his nightly skin regime.

"Burt said you were leaving for the weekend to help Sam out with school stuff."

"So what Finn?" Kurt asked, semi ignoring the jock.

"What do you need a suit for?" Rachel asked as she walked over to Kurt's bedside, eyeing the suit in question.

"By now you should know I always like to be fashionable" Kurt replied, as he watched Rachel walked over to his bed and sent a panicked look to Sam.

Sam looked over and saw Rachel about to grab Kurt's portfolio, which he had left by his clothes on the bed. Acting quickly Sam snatched the book out of her reach just as she was about to pick it up.

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed, clearly annoyed at having her snooping interrupted.

"You should ask permission before you go through someone's things" Sam chastised the self proclaimed diva.

"Thank you, Sam" Kurt mouthed to his friend, receiving a nod in return.

Kurt went to the bathroom to get the last of his toiletries and zipped up his bag. Once he had everything packed Kurt told Finn to stay off his bed, to which he got a rude reply to. With a huff Kurt left the basement, not noticing the suspicious look Rachel was giving the pair as they left. Kurt bid his father and Carole goodbye and Burt reminded him he had to be home on Sunday. Kurt said he understood and left with Sam in tow.

"You ok?" Sam asked once they were driving away from Kurt's house.

"I am now," Kurt sighed. "Thank you for grabbing my portfolio away from her."

"What was that about staying off your bed?"

"When I got home from work I caught the both of them making out on my bed" Kurt replied in disgust.

"That's just wrong man. I can't believe those two. Hopefully that addition to your house will be done soon and you can get Finn out of your space."

"I know, I just hope I can make it that long. After everything that's happened I guess Finn isn't bothering to hide what a jerk he is underneath that naïve, good guy visage."

"I just can't believe that's the guy you're going to be stuck with for a brother" Sam shook his head in disbelief.

"Even when my dad and Carole get married I doubt I'll ever think of Finn as my brother. If that's how brothers really treat one another I lucked out being an only child."

"That's not how brothers are Kurt" Sam told his friend sadly.

"I'm sorry Sam, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's ok Kurt, really" Sam said. "When… when you have a brother, it's not always easy. David and I did fight a lot, and not just about his secret. With siblings, you're always going to fight and have that sibling rivalry. In the end though, behind all that… there's this connection you share. It… it's what binds you together. It's what let's you know that deep down no matter how much you fight or what mean things you say to one another sometimes, you love each other."

Kurt gave Sam's shoulder a comforting squeeze as he felt the pain in his voice. While Kurt had eight years to deal with is death, Sam had only a few months. Sam squeezed Kurt's hand on his shoulder, taking in the comfort his friend was offering. They both remained quiet for a while until Sam let go of Kurt's hand.

"Kurt, I got a surprise for you at my place."

"What kind of surprise?"

"Well I got you a birthday present" Sam admitted.

"Sam you didn't have to do that" Kurt told his friend.

"I know, but I wanted to" Sam smiled.

"But, it's not my birthday Sam."

"I know, but we're having the big game Thursday, and with everything that's happening, I didn't know if you were going to have any plans for your birthday."

"I don't really celebrate my birthday Sam" Kurt informed.

"Why not?"

"Because I never really… well, I never really made friends back when I was a kid. When I was very young it was just some of my relatives who would come over and we would have a little party. When I started school I was always picked on so I didn't have any friends. When my mom tried to invite other kids over for a party most of the other kids never came and the ones that did obviously didn't want to be there. I hated it; and one time for my 6th birthday, when it was time to blow out my birthday candles one of the kids pushed my face into the cake. All the kids laughed at me and I locked myself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out. After that I never had another birthday party."

This time it was Sam's turn to apologize for bringing up sad memories.

"It's ok Sam; it's not exactly a big deal for me anymore. After my mom died when I was eight, I didn't feel like celebrating my birthday. Ever since then my dad just gives me a birthday present and that's it. Usually it's something big, like last year he gave me a car. Unfortunately, I didn't keep it long, but it was amazing though."

"Well, I don't have a car to surprise you with but I hope you'll like it anyway."

"You didn't have to get me anything at all Sam."

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to" Sam insisted.

"Ok, but my birthday isn't until Thursday, why give it to me now?"

"I'll explain when we get to my place" Sam told his friend.

Kurt let it go and the two continued to talk the rest of the way to Sam's place. Sam could sense Kurt was rather nervous and hoped his gift would cheer him up. When they got to Sam's house the first thing Kurt that Kurt noticed was the amazing smell. The second thing he noticed was Major Dean and Fenrir in the living room. Fenrir immediately bounded over to him happily in greeting, making Kurt smile.

"I missed you too Fenrir" Kurt said to the overly excited dog who barked in response.

"It's good to see you again Kurt" the Major greeted and shook Kurt's hand.

"Likewise, Major Dean, and thank you for inviting me into your home" Kurt told the major, never forgetting his proper manners.

"You're always welcome here Kurt, and I'm happy you decided to join us for training."

"Thank you Major, I just hope I can keep up."

"Don't worry Kurt," Sam gave Kurt a friendly pat on the back. "You've been working out with all of us every morning for over a month so I know you're ready for this."

Kurt's reply was cut off by the loud rumbling of his stomach which made both Sam and his uncle laugh, and Kurt to blush.

"Please excuse" Kurt said embarrassed.

"It's quite alright lad, a growing boy is always hungry" Dean chuckled.

"Actually it's that wonderful aroma that's making me hungry again. What is it?" Kurt admitted

Even though Kurt had already eaten he had only served himself a small portion at dinner so he wouldn't have to stay long at the table.

"I made cottage pie for dinner. If you like we still have plenty in the oven" Dean offered readily.

"Oh no thank you, I would hate to impose-"

"Nonsense, it's no imposition at all" Dean told Kurt. "Sammy, take Kurt's bags to your room while I fix him up a nice plate."

Sam did as he was told and Kurt followed Dean into the kitchen with Fenrir in tow.

"I've never tried cottage pie before" Kurt admitted as he sat down.

"You are in for a treat then. This was my grandmother's recipe. Since my mother never had any daughters and since I was the oldest she passed it down to me."

"Well it smells heavenly" Kurt declared.

The Major went on to explain exactly what cottage pie was, and happily presented the soprano with a helping of the homemade dish along with some water Kurt requested. Taking a bite out of it, Kurt couldn't help the huge smile that spread across his face, making the Major chuckle.

"This is delicious" Kurt exclaimed.

"I'll have to tell my mum you said so."

"Maybe I can find a kosher recipe for cottage pie online" Kurt thought out loud, thinking of Puck before he remembered Puck wasn't living with him anymore.

"You like cooking?"

"Oh yes, very much so. My mother taught me how to cook when I was a little boy, and I've been cooking ever since."

"My mother didn't start teaching me how to cook until I was around thirteen. She insisted that if my father could teach me how to take care of the farm she could teach me how to cook."

"Your family has a farm?" Kurt asked in interest, as Sam walked into the kitchen with smile.

"We sure do, I spent most of the summer mucking stables" Sam declared as he sat down next Kurt.

"The Evans family has always been farmers, going back several generations. By the time I was six years old my father had me by his side early in the morning, taking care of all the animals. From sheering sheep, milking cows, and training horses and riding horses, I could do it all in my sleep now."

"I still got a lot to learn before I ever call myself a real farmer. Papa Connor couldn't believe I didn't know how to do any of those things" Sam chuckled.

"He did have fun teaching you though" the Major pointed out.

"More like he had fun laughing at me" Sam corrected making his uncle laugh.

Kurt gave them a questioning look and much to Sam's embarrassment his uncle explained.

"Sam sadly had never done farm work before and didn't know what to really do. The first time he tried mucking out the stables he spooked the horses and got kicked face first into a into a pile of horse manure."

Kurt chuckled and Sam just shook his head in embarrassment.

"What kind of animals did you have at the farm?" Kurt asked trying to change the subject for Sam's sake.

"My father is mainly a sheep farmer, but he also has goats, cows, and horses" the Major explained.

"Wow, that must be a lot of work" Kurt exclaimed.

"It is, but my father loves it. As old as he is now, he still refuses to take it easy. He insists the work is keeping him young" the Major smiled fondly thinking of his father.

"I hope we can go back next summer" Sam said hopefully.

"We will, otherwise my mum would never forgive me. This summer was the first time she has seen you since you were only seven years old."

"I know," Sam said sadly. "I wished I could have seen them more often. And I actually liked working the farm with Papa Connor and him teaching me how to ride the horses."

"I wish I could have been there. I seriously doubt I could do any kind of farm work, but the place sounds like a beautiful place to live" Kurt declared finishing his cottage pie.

"Hopefully someday you'll be able to see Ireland. It's a beautiful place" the Major told Kurt.

"I'm sure it is. Hopefully someday I will."

Kurt thanked Sam's uncle for the food followed Sam up the stairs to his room with Fenrir in tow. As soon as he walked through Sam's bedroom his eyes widen as he saw Sam's gift for him.

"Happy birthday Kurt" Sam said with a smile.

"Sam… I…" Kurt stammered, at a complete loss for words.

On the other side of the room was a full sized portable keyboard with a big red bow on it. Sam had done his best to find the best keyboard he could afford. It had taken him over a week but he found an amazing deal and snatched it up. Seeing the look on Kurt's face made it all worth it though.

"Sam… this… Sam I can't accept this. It must have cost you a fortune" Kurt spoke as he finally found his voice.

"Of course you can accept it, Kurt. It's your birthday gift" Sam insisted.

Kurt looked over the keyboard, amazed Sam would go to all that trouble for him. He looked back at his friend and Sam stepped forward and placed his arm around Kurt's shoulder.

"Kurt, I know how sad you were when your dad decided to get rid of your mother's piano. And I know after Finn trashed all of the mementos of your mom you felt even worse. I know this will never replace your mom's piano, but maybe you can make some happy memories with this new one."

Overcome with emotion, Kurt enveloped his friend in deep hug, which Sam was only to happy to return.

"I guess this mean you like then?" Sam joked making Kurt laugh.

"I love it Sam" Kurt smiled and gave Sam a kiss, making the blonde blush although it made his smile even bigger.

"Come on, why don't you try it out and give it a test run" Sam said breaking away from Kurt. "It's got all these cool features. It comes with USB ports to hook it up to your computer so you can record what you are playing. You can also jack in your mp3 player. It's got over 300 built in songs, a built in sequencer, built in stereo speakers, touch sensitive keys, and over 400 hundred built in instrument voices and more. I kept the manual so you can read through it and I got you a bag you can carry it in" Sam finished.

"Sam… I don't have the words…"

"It's ok Kurt" Sam cut off his friend. "I know."

The two just smiled at one another before Sam suggested Kurt try it out once again. Kurt went into his bag and pulled out his portfolio.

"I have a song, but I want you to sing it with me" Kurt declared as he passed the portfolio to Sam.

"I'd love to" Sam answered humbly.

Kurt looked through the book and let Sam look at the song he had chosen. Sam had never heard of the song before but it seemed easy enough. As he studied the song Kurt played a few notes on the keyboard. The song was pretty straight forwards and could be played on the piano and the guitar. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Kurt said he would get it. He went down stairs seeing the Major already about to open the door. On the other side were Artie, Puck, and Quinn. The Major showed them graciously and offered them refreshments. Kurt led everyone upstairs to Sam's room where Sam sat on his bed strumming a few notes on his guitar.

"Look who's here" Kurt said as he walked into the room.

"Hey guys," Sam greeted as his girlfriend walked in along with Artie and Puck. "Where is everyone else?"

"Mike called and said he was going to pick up Matt" Puck replied as he looked over at Kurt who stood beside the keyboard closing a large leather bound book.

"I haven't heard from Santana so I guess I should text her and see what's up" Kurt announced as he put the book into his bag and sent a text to the Latina.

"So how did it go exactly in glee today?" Kurt asked as he typed up a text and looked up. "From Finn's reaction I take it things didn't exactly go over smoothly.

"No one was really happy you quit Kurt" Artie answered with a shrug.

"Yeah, but Finn went ballistic about how selfish you were for leaving and threw a huge tantrum" Quinn chimed in.

"Finn was being a completely prick. And then Rachel started saying crap about how she's the best singer in glee club" Noah rolled his eyes.

"I'm not surprised" Kurt shook his head. "Somehow she just makes everything about her."

"Mercedes let it slip about the diva off though when Rachel said you were mediocre and couldn't measure up to her. Sorry, Kurt" Artie informed them regretfully.

"It's ok Artie" Kurt sighed. "It doesn't matter now. Right now the only thing I care about is fixing this mess."

"Why did you throw the diva off?" Quinn asked. "You were so ready to take Rachel down last year, and we were all rooting for you. What happened?"

"As much as I wanted to win, I found something more important" Kurt replied obviously not wanting to elaborate.

Noah gave Kurt a searching look, feeling something was wrong, but unable to tell what. He remembered how Kurt was about the diva off the year before. He was practically bouncing up and down the halls in joy, to the point where even the constant slushies didn't even stop him from smiling. It didn't make sense that Kurt would just throw the audition. And he had gotten close enough to Kurt to admit that the soprano had an amazing voice. And while Rachel had amazing talent, so did Kurt.

The last time he heard Kurt sing was when they had kissed. Noah remembered how Kurt's voice made him feel as he sang. His voice so full of sadness and pain, which it reached down inside of him, touching him in a way he couldn't describe. Every time Kurt sang, all his walls came down and his heart shined through. For all his bravado, in those rare moments when it was Kurt taking the stage, he could feel what Kurt was feeling, they all cold. That was something even Rachel never did. Sure she sounded fantastic, but she never made him want to cry. And she never made him want to kiss her either.

"So you want to give it a shot?" Noah heard Sam ask, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Since we still have to wait for the rest of the guys."

"Try what?" Noah asked in confusion, not realizing Sam was talking to Kurt.

"A song I remembered that my mom used to sing" Kurt explained. "Sam thought it would be a good song for glee."

Sam looked over at Kurt not getting why he was acting so jumpy.

"Cool, let's hear it" Noah smiled at his friend.

Kurt looked a little nervous but with everyone looking at him expectantly he just nodded and got behind his keyboard to play. He looked over at Sam to see if he was ready with his guitar. Kurt began to play G-major chord along with Sam.

_Kurt:_

_It's not a time to be lonely again  
It's not a time to be gone  
_

_Sam:  
Now is a time to be home with a friend,  
Now is a time to be holy  
_

_Kurt & Sam:  
And tonight, I'll be  
Comforting to thee  
A comfort is all I'll try to be  
_

Kurt and Sam looked at each other and smiled. Sam thought it was wonderful to be this close to friend once more. The last time he felt so at ease with anyone was with David. But they had known each other since they were born, and were brothers in every way that mattered. Kurt he had known only since he joined the glee club. Yet despite all that, circumstances had pushed them together. Sam was grateful to have a friend he could truly be himself with. While David and Kurt were by far polar opposites, he suspected that if they had ever met, the three of them would have been fast friends.

_Kurt:  
I know a friend's not so easy to find,  
I know it's lonely in the night_

_Sam:  
I know you have many thoughts on your mind,  
I know it's not always going right  
_

Noah watched the pair, and although their duet was wonderful, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. It was obvious by the way the duo looked at each other as they sang that they had some kind of connection. The thought of Kurt confiding in anyone other then him twisted his stomach into knots. Ever since he fucked that waitress at the diner, Kurt had kept him at arms length. While Kurt still treated him like a friend, there was a wall between them now, a wall he had no idea how to get through.

_Kurt & Sam:  
But tonight, I'll be  
Special friend to thee  
A friend is all I'll try to be_

And Oh oh, I know it can be hard,  
Har har har-d,  
But let it go,  
Lean on back  
and don't let anything sidetrack

And tonight, I'll be  
A special friend to thee,  
Just a friend is all I'll try to be  
Yes, a friend is all I'll try to be

The song end and Artie clapped, with both Noah and Quinn following suit, if a bit less enthusiastically. Kurt saw Noah looked a bit down, while Sam saw Quinn giving him a strange look. Artie seemed oblivious to the awkwardness and asked Kurt if he would like to join the guys sometime for a jam session sometime.

"I'll have to think about it" Kurt answered.

"Come on man, we could use a piano player. What do you think Puck?" Artie asked.

"I wouldn't mind seeing more of what you can do" Noah answered, looking directly into Kurt's eyes.

"Uh…" Kurt looked away, trying to suppress the blush on his face. "I'll think about it. Right now, I'm more worried about keeping you in school" Kurt recovered.

"Kurt, it's cool that you're trying to help me out, but it's not really your problem" Noah told the soprano.

"We'll that's not exactly true Noah" Kurt sighed.

"Kurt, what's going on?" Noah looked at Kurt's dejected face.

"Let's wait till everyone gets here" Sam interrupted, seeing how uncomfortable Kurt was.

"Yeah it will be easier to just go over it once" Kurt agreed.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for everyone else to arrive. Mike and Matt came first with Santana coming last, looking incredibly bored and put out. For a moment Kurt questioned his involving of her, but he knew he needed her regardless. The Latina sent a quick glare to Quinn which was returned in full. If this was going to work they all needed to work together as a team. But Kurt had already chosen his game pieces, now he had no choice but to go forward.

"Ok, you guys, I know I've been pretty cryptic about everything that's going. But what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. I mean _seriously_" Kurt stressed.

"Just cut to the chase already" Santana snapped. "I'm already bored out of my mind."

"Basically what's going right now is that Coach Sue was the one who turned Puck in for not living at home, as well as the reason Puck, Sam and Artie got kicked off the team" Kurt confessed.

"What! What the hell dude!" Puck yelled.

"Guys hold on" Kurt cut off everyone before they could all start yelling alongside the half back. "Just let me start from the beginning."

"We're listening" Artie agreed and everyone settled down once again.

"Ok so the other day, Coach Sue called me into her office…"

-Flash back-

"You know Lady; back when I was serving in Noriega, I learned early on that information was power. That's why I always keep my ear to ground, and what I have learned recently makes my blood boil."

Kurt just sat there in her office, waiting for her to elaborate about what this was all about.

"I have just found out that the board is planning on drastically cutting my Cheerios budget to practically nothing and give it all to Coach Beiste and the football team."

At this Kurt almost gasped. Despite how awful Coach Sue was, the Cheerios were an important part of the school. When Sue had disappeared last year the squad fell apart and Kurt saw first hand just how much cheerleading meant to the students on the elite squad. It went beyond just popularity, as quite a few had attained college scholarships for cheerleading. Being on the Cheerios all but guaranteed you a ticket out of Lima if you were smart enough to cash it in.

"Needless to say if Principal Figgins and the board think they can take my budget they got another think coming."

"But what can you do about…" Kurt trailed off as a sudden realization hit him. "You were the one who called Puck's parole officer!"

Coach Sue just grinned and grabbed her protein shake.

"People need to be reminded, that it's not a bunch stupid football players that put this school on the map, but my Cheerios. Now that I got three of her starters kicked off the team, there's no way Coach Beiste will that game. They'll lose the running for the championship and she'll be ruined. With no championship my budget will be restored and then I can turn my attention to destroying the glee club."

"You can't do this!" Kurt actually stood up. "Puck's future will be destroyed if he gets sent back to juvie. And Sam worked his butt off to pull his grades up and being on the football team means everything to Artie."

"Lady let me explain something to you. During the Cuban missile crisis, one Jacqueline Kennedy knew that if her husband was going to war his best chance of winning was to divide and conquer. So through her fashion shows she planted false information for the Soviets and the Cubans, pitting them against each other leaving the way clear for her husband to take out their leaders and end the crisis before a single nuclear strike was made. That's why do this very day people still honor her pink Chanel suit."

"Ok none of that ever even happened and it has nothing to do with what you are doing here" Kurt barely forced back his anger.

"It's all quite simple Lady. I am making you the sole head cheerleader of the Cheerios squad. You made quite an impression last year and with you leading the squad in a new brilliant routine, I am going to show the board who really runs this school. I've already invited them to next week's game promising them a show like no other. The ones in my pocket I have already taken care off, the rest will be persuaded by our stunning show, and the complete and utter annihilation of the football team, as they lose the upcoming game."

"How do you really know they will lose?"

"It's simple really, with three of her best and most recognized players out of the game the other players' wont stand a chance. Coach Beiste will be humiliated and the rest as we say is history."

-End Flashback-

"That bitch!" Puck yelled.

"Guys that's still not the full problem yet" Kurt interrupted the group as they all began to yell.

"What do you mean? What else is there?" Artie asked.

"She isn't just going to stop at the football team. The only reason I agreed to be head cheerleader is because she's planning to take entire budget, which means no more glee club."

"She can't do that!" Mike surprised everyone by yelling out. "We all worked so hard just to make it this far."

"Oh wow, sorry" Quinn muttered quietly.

"Well that's why I asked all of you here. I have somewhat of a plan but I can't pull it off on my own. I know this is asking a lot, but will you guys help me out?"

"Dude, you don't even have to ask, the guys and I are behind you all the way" Sam declared and the guys immediately agreed.

Kurt looked over at Santana who just shrugged.

"The bitch put me at the bottom of the pyramid. I'm in" the Latina agreed.

"Quinn?" Kurt beckoned.

The blonde looked like she was torn and couldn't decide what to do.

"Quinn, I promise, after this whole thing is over, I am off the Cheerios for good."

"Ok I'm in" Quinn agreed after another quiet moment of contemplation.

"Alright then, first off I got an idea on a hit routine the Cheerios can do. Sue has given me creative freedom which means I now have all the leverage I need to take care of part one of the plan. However, for right now the most important thing I still haven't figured out is a way to get all of you guys back on the football team" Kurt informed.

"Well for right now, Puck is having the biggest problem" Sam nodded over to the half back. "Thanks to Sue, he won't even be able to graduate with us."

"But wait, why can't Puck graduate" Matt looked confused.

Puck filled everyone in on his particular problem now that his school records were brought into the light. Sam was rather shocked that the team had been allowed to cheat their way through classes, although in retrospect he realized he shouldn't be so shocked. Things like this weren't unheard of and Puck just seemed to be the latest casualty. Matt and Mike already knew about the cheating but neither of them had ever taken a buy on anything since they were more than smart enough to keep up with their classes. Artie, for his part, had only joined the team recently and since Coach Beiste was a no nonsense Coach he knew she would never have allowed anything like this to happen on her watch.

"But, Puck can't you just test out like Sunshine did?" Mike asked.

"Huh?" Puck was clearly confused. "Dude I can't just transfer to another school."

"No, not transfer. I mean test out. You see when a foreign exchange student comes to an American school they get tested to see what education level they are at. So even if they are a certain age they might be put in a lower or higher grade depending on their score" Mike filled them in.

"But how does that help Puck? He's not an exchange student?" Sam asked.

"Well sometimes they do it with other students too if there are problems with their records or things like that. If Puck can test out of ninth and tenth grade he won't have to make up any classes and he should be able to graduate with us" Mike continued.

"Sounds great in theory but how the hell can we pull that off?" Santana rolled her eyes.

The room remained silent for a moment as everyone tried to think of something. Kurt knew there was no way Figgins would allow Puck to test out. But he knew he was going to have to play dirty to win over Coach Sue. He already had a plan to deal with her. Now it looked like he was going to have to do the same for Figgins.

"I… I got an idea" Kurt told his friends.

-Next scene-

After much arguing and much debate Kurt's plan was the only viable option left. But, while Kurt got them to agree to the plan, a lot of yelling broke out about how he wanted to do it. In the end though he made them all agree to his plans even though Puck especially didn't like it. To him it didn't make sense at all for Kurt to do this. He was taking all the risk himself, even though they were all planning to have a hand in the scheme. On the inside Noah couldn't remember the last time someone was willing to put their own future on the line for him. If this all failed Kurt would be expelled. Kurt argued it was better if it was only him that went down instead of all of them, to which Santana quickly agreed.

The rest of them weren't so quick to let Kurt take on all the blame though. A lot of fighting occurred but in the end Kurt somehow won out. After that it was a matter of planning everything out. Even Puck had to agree it was an amazing plan. But it was risky, very risky. Kurt had balls of steel to do what he was planning. Even he the great Puckzilla had never even dreamed of doing anything remotely this badass. What was really bothering him though, was that he couldn't understand why Kurt was putting himself through all of this for. Even when there friendship was at its strongest, Finn would never do something like this for him.

"Puck" he heard someone say bringing the jock out of his thoughts.

He looked down and saw Artie trying to get his attention.

"Puck you ok?"

"Yeah dude, I'm fine" Noah replied, taking stock of his surroundings.

Santana, Mike, and Matt had already left and Sam had gone downstairs already to walk Quinn out.

"You kind of spaced out there for a sec man" Artie said, looking up at Noah.

"Sorry, just thinking about something" Puck shrugged.

"Well can we get going? It's getting late."

"Yeah sure, I'll take you back home" Puck agreed.

Artie and Noah said goodnight to Kurt and went to leave. As they walked out the door they saw Sam and Quinn arguing across the street. Whatever they were fighting about Sam didn't look happy. Noah got Artie in his truck and looked back at the house.

"Hey Artie, I'll be back in a sec. I forgot something" Noah told Artie and went back into the house.

He ignored Sam and Quinn across the street and went back into the house. As he walked back into Sam's bedroom Kurt was at the keyboard, taking his shirt off. Kurt slowly peeled the shirt off his torso, careful not to wrinkle it and set it aside by his bag, unaware he had a captive audience. Noah drank in Kurt's body, noticing how his muscles were becoming far more developed than they had been previously if his back was anything to go by. His heart began to race as Kurt began to take off his pants and bend over his bag, looking for his night clothes. In nothing but a form fitting pair of boxer briefs, Noah stared at Kurt's ass. It was the perfect shape and size, giving the term 'buns of steel' a run for its money.

Noah's heart began to race as his eyes raked over Kurt's behind and then lower to his toned legs, speeding up his pulse. As wrong as he knew it was, Noah couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. Ogling Kurt was something that he shouldn't be doing but his body craved it to much to be denied. Thankfully his jeans were baggy enough to hide the monster erection he was getting. An erection he shouldn't be getting in the first place. Kurt wasn't on the menu for Puckzilla, that was for damn sure. Kurt was a guy, and Puckzilla sure as hell didn't swing that way. Yet he couldn't stop staring at Kurt's perfect apple shaped ass.

"Puck!" Kurt shouted in surprise, as he suddenly turned around, jarring Noah out of his haze.

_"Was he just checking out my butt? No, what am I thinking… it's Puck for crying out loud." Kurt thought to himself._

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok," Kurt grabbed a set of sweat pants and pulled them on along with a t-shirt.

"Kurt, listen I… I don't understand…" Noah trailed off.

Kurt simply stayed silent, observing the confusion on his friend's face.

"Why are you doing this?" Noah finally managed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you could have just walked away from all of this. Instead, you agreed to quit the glee club to be head cheerleader for Coach Sue. And now you're risking being expelled or worse, just to make sure I graduate. And I don't get it Kurt. I mean… I used to make your life living hell. Then suddenly one day, you use your money to bail me out of juvie. You tricked Rachel into getting me a lawyer. You, even let me live with you after my mom kicked me out. Even your dad didn't want me living with you, but you convinced him to give me a chance. After everything I've done to you… I don't understand why you're risking so much for someone who's never given you anything but grief."

"If you're asking why I sprung you from juvie and so forth, it was because… I'm tired Noah."

"I don't get it" Noah blinked.

Kurt rubbed his temples and sighed, flipping his hair out of the way.

"Noah, I sprung you from juvie, because despite everything that's happened between us, I saw enough of the real you to know that you didn't belong there. As much of that tough guy act you like to put up, I know you still hurt inside like I do. I know it hurts that everyone uses you as a scapegoat. Like when Quinn tried to use you to make Finn jealous, and then Rachel, and then how they make you into this bad guy and a loser. But you're none of those things Noah. You're just a guy who's stuck where he doesn't belong. You don't belong in Lima anymore than I do. It isn't right for Figgins to take your future away-"

"So you're going to sacrifice your own? Kurt this is crazy!" Noah half-shouted.

Kurt walked up the jock looking into his deep hazel eyes.

"If it was me instead of you, would you do the same for me?"

"You know I would" Noah answered with no hesitation.

"That's why I'm doing this Noah. You're _always_ the Lima loser, and no matter what I do, I'm _always_ the resident fag. I'm sick of it Noah, and I know your sick of it too. I'm going to do everything I can to get out of this backwards cow town, and you should have your chance to get out too."

_"He looks so sad" Noah thought to himself as he looked into Kurt's eyes as they slowly became an intense dull grey._

"How is it that you always seem to know how I feel?"

"Let's just say, I have my bad days too" Kurt stated simply, finally breaking eye contact with Noah.

Noah stepped into Kurt's personal space, bringing his hand up to caress Kurt's face, making the soprano look him in the eye once more.

"An awesome dude like you shouldn't have bad days Angel" Noah declared softly.

Noah's touch made Kurt's body quiver as he felt the palm of Noah's hand caress his cheek. The touch, while simple, held a powerful feeling of intimacy. This made it all the harder for Kurt to break away but he did. Noah felt his heart plummet as Kurt stepped back away from his touch and turned back to his bag.

"You should get going, Artie's waiting" Kurt said with his back still turned to the jock.

"I'll come over Sunday night to make things easier. My mom won't mind me sleeping over" Noah hoped Kurt would turn around again to face him.

"I'll see you then," Kurt answered but didn't turn around, not wanting Noah to see the pained look on his own face.

Kurt's heart was racing, ignoring the urge to turn around and wrap his arms around Noah. But, more importantly, he was ignoring the urge to kiss said jock. As Noah caressed his cheek he suddenly realized his feelings went much further than simple friendship. He knew it wasn't right, and knew that if he acted on it he would lose a very good friend. Yet keeping Noah at arms length was becoming more painful and more confusing. It would be so much easier if Noah would stop with the strangely mixed signals. A few moments ago he could have sworn Noah was checking him out, but that was crazy wasn't it?

Noah stood there for a moment waiting for Kurt to turn back around but he never did. With a finally goodbye he turned around and left, passing Sam on the way out.

-Scene Change-

"Quinn, what is going on with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked Sam.

"I mean about what happened between you and Kurt. Why did you go off on him like that? Is being head cheerleader really that big of a deal for you?"

"Sam you don't understand the pressure I'm constantly under. I have to be head cheerleader if I'm ever going to be prom queen."

"I can't believe you Quinn. Kurt is putting himself on the line for us, and all you can think about is being prom queen?"

"You don't know what its like Sam" Quinn shot back.

"You're right Quinn I don't know what it's like" Sam sarcastically remarked. "Because anytime I ever try to talk to you or get to know you or even open up to you, you always shut me out."

"I told you from the get go that I didn't need _this_" Quinn stressed. "So what is it that you want from me?"

"Quinn, what I want the most from you right now is to know what is that _you _want. I keep getting all these mixed signals from you and I honestly don't even know who you really are half the time."

"What's that supposed to mean" Quinn snapped at her not-boyfriend.

"Quinn, let me ask you a question, and be honest with me, because I've always tried to be really honest with you. Why did you agree to go out with me?"

Sam saw a look of confusion spread across Quinn's face and felt disappointed. He knew Quinn had it bad last year, but he told her the truth when he said he didn't judge her. In fact, he admired her for having the strength to come back and not change schools, and deal with the aftermath. But, the more time he spent with her, the more it felt like he didn't know Quinn at all. Worst of all was that sometimes he felt like he was being used. Like a trophy husband of some wealthy and powerful woman used as eye candy as they walked down the red carpet. If he had never made quarterback, he wondered if Quinn would have even looked twice him. That thought alone left him feeling used and cheap.

"Because I thought that maybe you weren't like the other guys" she finally answered.

"Then why don't you ever give me a real chance to prove it?"

"You don't have any right to demand anything from me Sam, you're not my boyfriend."

Sam had to pause to bit back a furious retort.

"_It's like talking to a brick wall" Sam groaned in his head._

"You know what, if that's really how you feel right now, then we have nothing to talk about. Tell me when you're done with your pity party, and then maybe we can talk like adults."

Sam stormed off back into the house leaving Quinn in a daze. He passed Puck on his way out, noticing the distraught look on the jock's face. He almost asked what was wrong but Puck just stormed out of the house and to his truck. He went back upstairs to his room to find Kurt standing by the window playing a few notes on the keyboard. He knew Kurt enough to know he was upset and wondered what had happened while he was gone.

"Kurt" Sam spoke to get his friends attention. "What happened?"

"I keep making a big mess out of everything" Kurt replied glumly with a small shake of his head as he turned to face Sam.

"What happened?" Sam repeated.

"Puck and I... oh Sam, I'm such an idiot" Kurt ground out. "I made the same mistake all over again."

"Kurt calm down" the blond soothed his friend. "Just start from the beginning and tell me what happened."

So after a few deep breaths, Kurt told Sam everything that had been going on between him and Puck. Sam listened in rapt attention, as Kurt laid it all out in front of him. By the end Sam's on head was spinning at the idea Kurt falling for Puck of all people. But from the way things sounded Puck was sending some mixed signals of his own.

"Ok I understand but you can't go on like this Kurt. You should just sit down with Puck at some point and talk about all of this."

"I can't do that Sam. If Puck ever realized I might have feelings for him it would be a disaster. It would be like the Finn Hudson fiasco all over again" Kurt refused.

"Kurt, I don't think you're giving Puck enough credit. You keep saying yourself Puck isn't Finn. I don't know Puck as well as you do but from what I can tell he would probably take you having feelings for him as proof of how hot he is or whatever" Sam laughed.

"Maybe," Kurt thought. "But I don't want to lose him as a friend. After spending so much time together, I really like having him as a friend."

Sam gave Kurt a thoughtful looks as he went over what Kurt revealed to him.

"To be honest with you Kurt, I doubt I'm the guy to talk to about this. I mean relationships seem to be last thing I'm good at, but from the way you explained everything, you and Puck kissed each other. I mean he made the first move and you kissed him back. So like I said you should both just get everything out into the open."

"I don't think I can do that Sam. I think it's better if I just keep putting him at arms length" Kurt thought.

"That isn't working very well so far. Not to mention you can't be his friend if you keep avoiding him like the plague."

"This is just so confusing. It would be so much easier if he was just some jerk. But he's not, Sam. He's so much more. And worst of all, is that just… just sometimes when we're together… the way he looks at me… it's like the rest of the world just… fades away. I never dreamed a man would ever look at me that way. Least of all while, I was still living in Lima, Ohio."

"You really got it bad don't you?" Sam smiled, making Kurt blush.

"It's not funny, Sam" Kurt pouted, finally making Sam laugh.

"Sorry, Kurt" Sam managed to say in between laughs making Kurt angrier which made him even redder.

Kurt quickly grabbed a pillow and hit Sam in the face with it. With that it was on and Sam grabbed a pillow of his own. The room was quickly filled with laughter and shenanigans as the two continued to rough house. It felt good for the both of them to just forget about their problems and be young for a while. The two kept going until a voice from the other side of the room cut in.

"I think that's enough you two."

The two teenagers both looked up from where they were rolling around on the floor with Sam letting Kurt out of his hammerlock, seeing the Major with Fenrir right at his side.

"Sorry Uncle Dean, we didn't mean to make so much noise."

"That quite alright Sammy, but you boys should be turning in soon. You'll need plenty of rest for training tomorrow" The Major replied.

From the look in his eyes Kurt got a bad feeling. He had no idea what exactly training was going to be like but by the looks of it he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

"We'll turn in soon, Uncle Dean" Sam assured his uncle.

"I apologize for the noise, Major" Kurt said.

"It's alright, boy will be boys" the Major smiled at Kurt reassuringly, letting him know it was alright.

The major left with Fenrir in tow and Kurt let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Ah relax Kurt, it's fine. But we should be getting some sleep. Its getting late and the more sleep we get the better since we'll be up at five a.m."

"What?" Kurt blanched.

"Don't worry, I know you're tough enough to take it" Sam tried to assure his friend. "Come on, let's get ready for bed."

Sam began straightening up the room while Kurt went to the bathroom to begin his skin care regime. By the time he came back the room was back in order.

"Do you mind if we share the bed?" Sam asked. "I couldn't find a spare sleeping bag."

"If you don't mind, I don't mind" Kurt shrugged.

Kurt really didn't mind since he was completely comfortable with Sam and he knew Sam felt the same towards him. Sam's bed was only a standard double bed so they would be very close to each other, unlike Kurt's huge king size bed that had plenty of room for them to stay apart from one another. Kurt went to his bag and pulled out his sleeping clothes. Normally when he would have sleepovers with Mercedes he would wear his designer pajamas since he always wanted to look presentable. However, since this time it was Sam he was sleeping over with he stuck with his usual sleeping clothes which consisted of a large t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

He pulled off his shirt and began to undo his pants when he realized Sam was still rummaging in the closet for something. With a shrug Kurt continue to undress until he was in nothing but his underwear. As he was about to reach for his swat pants he noticed his portfolio in his bag. Taking it in his hands he walked over to the keyboard and placed it beside his new instrument.

"Here we go" Sam announced as he walked out of the closet with a box.

"What's that?"

"I thought these would come in handy for Sunday night" Sam explained.

He opened the both to reveal four walkie-talkies. They had been a gift from his uncle a few years ago.

"I can't believe I'm doing this Sam. If we get caught-"

"I know Kurt, but that's why I thought we could use these."

"Sam… I got to admit, I'm really scared. Are you sure you want to get involved in this? I can find a way to do it on my own."

"Come here" Sam said pulling Kurt into a deep hug. "We're with you all the way man. Puck and you will go in and me, I'll be the look out and Artie will tell you guys what to do. All of us are going to help you through this Kurt. And when this is over no matter what, we'll deal with whatever happens together."

"That means a lot to me Sam. More than I'll ever be able to say" Kurt said, barely over a whisper, and planted a kiss on Sam's cheek making the smile.

"Come on, we should really get some sleep" Sam motioned to the bed and Kurt nodded.

Sam took off his own clothes until he was also in his underwear and simply climbed in to bed. Kurt followed soon after and they both quickly drifted off to sleep.

-Scene Change-

"What do you think is going on?" Rachel asked as she continued to peer into Sam's bedroom through her binoculars.

"I don't know. It's been a while since everyone else left. What do you think they were doing here?" Finn responded as pulled his own binoculars off his face.

"It can't be some school project; otherwise we would know since we take a lot of the same classes. And Sam was pretty quick to make sure I didn't look through that book on Kurt's bed. Maybe it has something to do with that."

"I'm not sure" Finn shrugged. "Kurt reads a lot and I usually see him with books. He has bunch of book shelves filled with weird things."

"Oh my god, they're taking off their clothes off" Rachel exclaimed.

"What?"

They both watched through the window as Kurt stripped off his clothes and Sam came into view beside him. They couldn't hear what they were saying but they watched as Sam pulled Kurt into his arms.

"Did they just kiss?" Finn exclaimed sounding very disgusted. "I can't believe this. Sam and Kurt are having an affair."

"You really think that's what's going on. I mean we don't really know much about Sam yet, but I can't believe Kurt's doing this to Quinn. He and Mercedes are the only ones who Quinn really talks to."

"I can believe it. I mean last year Kurt was all over me and this year as soon as he saw Sam he practically jumped him. I just can't believe Sam's gay. Maybe that's why he sounded so mad when I told him he shouldn't sing with Kurt."

"They turned the lights off," Rachel groaned in frustration. "We should get going. I don't think were going to see anymore."

Finn agreed and he turned the ignition.

-Scene Change-

Kurt came to a stop on Sam's porch barely able to breath. Covered in sweat from head to toe Kurt couldn't believe the day had only just begun as the sun hadn't even risen yet. This morning Kurt was jolted awake by the Major's loud drill whistle. In shock he had fallen right out of the bed while Sam, already used to the treatment simply jumped to attention. Everything else just seemed to bleed together. Kurt and Sam both immediately got dressed and met the Major outside along with Fenrir. Both looked way to happy and alert for this time in the morning.

They went on a long jog at a pace Kurt could barely keep up with. Sam somehow made it look like it was all a breeze. Once the jog was over things got even worse. The jog had ended in a park a few miles away near a jungle gym. What followed was nothing short but a full workout marathon of calisthenics. The Major immediately wasted no time put the young men through the wringer. Forcing them to do push ups, sit ups, lunges, squats, crunches, jumping jacks, calf-raises, and flutter kicks. Then they used the jungle gym to do chin-ups, pull-ups, and dips.

The entire time the Major yelled at them to move faster, to push harder and so forth. When they were finally done, felt like he was about to collapse then and there. Sadly for him right after they were done the Major had them jog all the way back to the house. Even Sam looked winded at this point but still nowhere near as bad Kurt. How Sam could train like this was beyond Kurt. He knew Sam like to work out, but this was felt like it was on a completely different level. If military training it was no wonder Major Dean had such physical prowess.

"Come on Kurt, you made it" Sam tried to encourage the soprano.

"How can you do this every weekend?"

"Your body gets used to it in time. Soldiers start basic training like this and through it you get stronger and tougher."

"I am definitely not cut out for the military then" Kurt joked as he followed Sam into the kitchen.

The major told them they were on their own for breakfast and that he would meet them at the dojo. Kurt took the chance to give his body a much needed rest. The two friends made breakfast together and devoured every morsel in their bodies' intense need for fuel. Sam could tell Kurt was a bit nervous but reassured his friend that he had nothing to worry about. In truth Sam was rather excited to have Kurt join him for martial arts training. At the moment the school itself was non-existent since his uncle still had some details to iron out before the school could officially open. According to his uncle, they would officially open the school in a few months time. In the mean time he was getting private instruction from his uncle and a little bit from Sifu Kojaro.

It was a lot of hard work but he also enjoyed it very much. While Kurt was obviously standoffish about joining he knew it would do his friend a world of good. Kurt needed to learn how to defend himself. Even though all the guys agreed to be on look out for Kurt, it went unsaid that they couldn't protect him every single moment of the day. Sam knew Kurt was the type of person to give it there all and work hard, so he knew he would have no real problem learning martial arts. If he kept up with it, Kurt could easily be a force to be reckoned with. Plus, it would be nice to have a sparring partner on his level.

As soon they were done with food they gathered there things and left the house. It was about a twenty minute drive until the pulled up to an old looking building. The building itself looked rather worn down but huge. It liked it hadn't been used in years but must have been used frequently at some point in the past.

"What exactly is this place?" Kurt asked as they walked up to the building.

"Well from what my uncle told me, this place used to be some kind of big dancing school that went under sometime in the late seventies. After that at some point someone bought it and tried to turn it into gym. But whoever they were never opened it. Their business partner ended up disappearing with most of the money they were going to spend on redoing the place. At that point the bank took ownership of it. My uncle and Sifu Kojaro bought this place from the bank almost ten years ago and were in the process of renovating it when my aunt died. They finished renovating the inside though, along with making repairs and upgrades so it's pretty much good to go."

The two walked into the building, entering into a large open space. When Sam said the inside had been redone he wasn't joking. The entire first floor seemed to be nothing but one huge open space. It had new hardwood floors and actually had a lot of gymnastics equipment much to Kurt's surprise.

"Why do you guys have gymnastics equipment here? I thought your uncle only taught martial arts."

"Well the gymnastics equipment is Sifu Kojaro's. Remember when I said he knew stuff besides Kung Fu?" Sam asked as he showed Kurt the floor. "As it turns out he also knows karate and he is also a specialist in Parkour."

"Is that the French disciple you told me about?" Kurt wondered.

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "Since my uncle is training me in Muay Thai and Karate, I asked Sifu to train me in Parkour. We use this floor to make a big obstacle course."

"But if you're learning gymnastics, why didn't you join me and Mike in our workouts?"

"I'm nowhere near as flexible as you two" Sam laughed. "You guys practically own the floor when you two work out. And how you do the splits without screaming in pain is beyond me."

Kurt smiled a bit at the praise. Since he and Mike had started working out they had grown a bit of a friendly rivalry out on the gymnasium floor. With all the weeks of training, Mike by now was just as good as with flips and jumps as Kurt was. Kurt still had the edge with using the gymnastics equipment like the pommel horse and so forth, but Mike was closing that gap quickly the more they trained together. Following his friend, Kurt was led up a flight of stairs to the second floor. They emerged in a hallway with several different doors. Sam took him down to the door at the opposite end.

"This is the room we are going to use for martial arts training" Sam explained.

Looking around the room Kurt saw several punching bags and safety gear. On the floor Kurt saw a very beautiful elaborate circular Chinese design painted on the floor. At the far end mounted on the wall was a large array of weapons. It was quite the collect from what Kurt gathered. There were Chinese broad swords, jian, spear, staffs, three section staffs, hook swords, butterfly swords, piandao, deer horn knives, and many more Chinese weaponry. Mixed with those were Japanese weapons, such as katana, sai swords, kyoketsu shoge, kama, naginata, nunchaku, tonfa and so on. However what really baffled Kurt was that mixed with all the Chinese and Japanese weapons were others that were not Japanese or Chinese at all.

"These weapons look European" Kurt motioned to a short sword on the rack.

"Besides the Japanese weapons, my uncle also teaches Irish weapons too" Sam explained proudly. "There are knives, swords, cudgels, and spears."

"How about those" Kurt pointed to some canes on the rack.

"Those are shillelagh. They are used for Bataireacht."

"Huh?"

"Irish stick fighting" Sam quickly explained.

"You're going to learn that as well?"

"Not yet" Sam began to explain. "Uncle Dean says he won't teach me any weapons until he deems me ready."

"You sound disappointed" Kurt observed.

"I guess I am in a way" Sam sighed.

"Don't worry Sam; I'm sure your uncle will teach you when you're ready."

"It's not that," Sam said quickly. "It's just… well never mind. Come on the office is this way."

Kurt didn't understand why Sam suddenly seemed upset but didn't want to press it. So instead he just followed Sam to the door opposite where they entered to a large office. Inside they found the major already there dressed in a Karate gi. Sitting down at the desk was another man who could only be Sifu Kojaro. As he stood up from his desk Kurt felt a bit intimidated, much like meeting the major for the first time. Unlike the major, this Asian man wasn't a giant hulking mass. He was the same height as Sam and while not as built as the major, it was clear he had plenty of muscle underneath his kung fu uniform. His skin was lightly tanned and he had very intense dark brown eyes, almost black in fact. His hair was cut short and was black in color with grey streaks on the side. Yet, his most alarming feature was the large jagged scar that marred his face. It began above his hairline on the right side of his face and went across his face diagonally, over his right eye, across the bridge of his nose, and down his left cheek.

"Sorry we took so long but I wanted to show Kurt around a bit" Sam declared.

"It's alright Sammy, we were just finishing some paperwork" Major Dean replied. "Kurt, I would like you to meet Sifu Kojaro Hamasaki."

Kurt put his fist in his hand and bowed respectively. The bow was returned and the Sifu seemed to be sizing Kurt up which increased his anxiety.

"Please, sit" the Sifu gestured to a small Japanese coffee table.

Kurt sat on the cushions on floor along and was offered a cup of tea. Kurt graciously accepted, grateful for the opportunity to release the tension he was feeling.

"From what I am told, you are interested in learning kung fu" Sifu Kojaro began.

"Yes, after my friend Sam explained about the training he was receiving I was interested a bit in joining."

"Well at the moment, the school isn't open yet, and we are still months away from opening" the major informed.

"Yes, and currently the major and I are discussing how the school will be run. You see we will be opening up the school but the major will be the main teacher here. I find that while I would enjoy teaching martial arts, I am only interested in teaching students one on one. So while I will help the major teach the karate class I will also be teaching Kung Fu, but only to a select few. I am only interested in teaching those who are fully committed and hard working."

"I understand" Kurt replied. "Martial arts are difficult to learn, no matter what style you choose to study."

"Exactly," Sifu Kojaro nodded. "This is why I would also like to ask you why you want to learn martial arts in the first place."

Kurt looked down at the cup of tea in his hands, unsure of what to say. Sam was originally the one who kept insisting he try to learn martial arts, but he also knew that he could have said no. The image of Karofsky appeared in his mind, making him cringe. Karofsky and the other guys at school weren't going to leave him alone. He was an easy target, plain and simple, only now Karofsky was stepping up the bullying, and after what happened Kurt had to admit he was more afraid now than before. And as much as the guys were trying to watch out for him now, he knew it was impossible for them to be around him 24/7.

But admitting he was being bullied at school made him feel like he was just some little kid, and saying he always wanted to learn Kung Fu really sounded corny in his head. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, his glasz eyes met Sam's green eyes. Sensing Kurt's hesitation Sam wanted Kurt to know he was there for him. What happened with Karofsky was probably the straw that broke the camels back, and he knew Kurt need the encouragement to go forwards.

"I've been having some problems at school" Kurt admitted. "Some guys are bullying me and it seems to be escalating more and more."

"If that is the case, we can teach you to defend yourself" Sifu Kojaro declared.

With that Kurt got a break down of how everything would work. He was given some papers that he had to have his father sign since he was still under the age of eighteen. Sifu explained how and what he was going to teach Kurt. At this Sam asked about Kurt also learning Parkour since Kurt was very agile and already knew gymnastics. Intrigued, Sifu asked Kurt if this was true.

"I'm a cheerleader at school, so I learned some gymnastics last year and this summer I took some more lessons" Kurt elaborated. "But, while Sam explained it a bit I'm not exactly all too sure what Parkour is exactly."

"Well, let me explain it then before you decide if you wish to learn that as well" Sifu Kojaro replied. "Years ago when Parkour became known, different countries began looking for ways to incorporate Parkour into military training. Since the method originated in France, I was sent with a few others of the U.S. Marine Corps to study and learn the method in depth. The best way to explain it is that Parkour is a method of movement, focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. It's a way of conditioning both mind and body to look for more efficient and faster ways of getting from one point to another by running, vaulting, rolling, climbing and jumping."

Kurt listened in rapt attention and decided he wanted to learn Parkour along with Sam. Sam looked ecstatic making the Major chuckle a bit. The training days and regime were broken down, and once the days for training and payment were agreed upon, Kurt was given a kung fu uniform and told to suit up. Sam took him down the hall where a door was marked 'Men'. Expecting a bathroom, Kurt found himself in a large locker room instead. It had a few rows of lockers and in the back was a large shower area.

"Come on, we got to get dressed" Sam declared as he began to get ready.

Kurt nodded and grabbed the locker next to Sam's, following suit.

-Scene Change-

Picking up trash by the side of the road wasn't Puck's idea of a good Saturday morning. Normally at this time he would usually be waking up somewhere from some wild Friday night sandwiched in between to chicks. Either that or cleaning a pool, that needed servicing, or in other words quickly cleaning a pool, and then banging a cougar until she couldn't take anymore of Puckzilla, and gave him a nice large _'tip'_ for his fine services. Yet instead of all that he was now on the side of the road wearing an orange jumpsuit, alongside of a bunch of other guys wading through garbage. But he knew he only had himself to blame and that it could still be much worse. That however brought him back to how he had gotten him their in the first place; Kurt.

Kurt was the one thing he couldn't get out of his mind. Ever since Kurt showed up that day in juvie his entire life had changed. Everything felt completely different and he couldn't figure out what had changed. All he knew for sure was that ever since he kissed Kurt, he couldn't stop thinking about him. Kurt thought it was just Puck trying to make him feel better, but Puck knew differently. When Kurt sang that song, and their eyes locked, the entire world just faded away.

It all just seemed too surreal. Worst of all Kurt still seemed to be afraid to get near him so they couldn't even talk about it. But even if they did talk about it what would he say? He still didn't understand half of what he was feeling. He had never tried anything with a guy, let alone ever kissed one. Yet it was undeniable that that kiss meant something. When he kissed Kurt, it felt like a huge tidal wave surging out of Kurt and straight into him. No one had ever kissed him like that before. Even Quinn when they were trying to be together had never made him like that. No matter how much he loved Quinn, it was a pale comparison to what Kurt had made him feel in that one moment.

Now with what was happening it made things even more confusing. The only thing that was clear was how amazing Kurt truly is. He was laying everything on the line to help him, Sam and Artie. Finn, would never do that, and neither would Quinn.

"Get to work!" the officer yelled from behind him.

He had been staring at the garbage on the road for the last minute, lost in thought. Normally he would have told the officer to fuck off, but he was too distracted thinking of Kurt to care.

-Scene Change-

"There isn't a part of my body that isn't sore right now" Kurt groaned as he took off his uniform.

"Don't worry, you-"

"Get used to it I know" Kurt groaned once more as he peeled off his shirt.

"Actually, I was going to say you start to like it" Sam laughed as he began to strip off his clothes as well. "I love the way my body feels after a really good work out."

"I wouldn't have pictured you for a masochist" Kurt quipped.

"I am not a masochist" Sam insisted like a five old making Kurt laugh.

Sam retaliated by throwing his sweat soaked shirt straight at Kurt's face.

"Gross, this reeks!" Kurt ripped the offensive clothing off his face.

"You don't smell much better" Sam replied.

"I'm going to have to buy another uniform, or maybe a set if I want to make sure I always have one that's clean. Especially if every training session is like today."

"Actually it's going to get a lot harder" Sam said matter of factly.

"Then I definitely need a full set."

"You can ask Sifu about it when we leave. Did you bring your toiletries?"

"Yeah, but…" Kurt trailed off nervously.

"What's wrong?" Sam.

"Well, I'll just wait till you're done" Kurt replied and began to look through his bag.

"What for? It's only you and me and there are twelve showers."

"I know… it's just… well there aren't any separate stalls."

The shower in the locker room wasn't like the one in the school where each shower had its own section. Instead it was just one large wide open shower space.

"Kurt, does that really matter? I mean after… you know…"

"Sorry, it's just… I was never really… comfortable in the locker rooms…"

Sam felt like kicking himself. Looking back, he couldn't remember seeing much of Kurt in the locker room for gym class. He always bolted right out the moment he was done getting dressed.

"Come on Kurt, it's just you and me. I promise I won't freak out or go all Shawshank on you" Sam joked.

Kurt chuckled a bit, making Sam sigh in relief inwardly. Kurt nodded and continued to undress. Suddenly Sam got an idea and snapped a towel at his friend. Kurt whelped in surprise making Sam laugh all the more. Kurt quickly retaliated grabbing a towel of his own. What happened next was a whirlwind of locker room tomfoolery. With all the towel snapping and so forth Kurt quickly forgot his discomfort, much to Sam's relief. When it was over both of the young continued to undress to nothing but their respective towels.

Grabbing his toiletries out of his bag he followed Sam into the showers with nothing but a towel around his waist. Kurt couldn't help but blush as Sam took off his towel and put it on the rack. Seeing Sam completely nude once again wasn't what he was expecting when he woke up this morning. Trying to focus, Kurt turned away for a moment to take off his own towel as well, hearing Sam turn on his shower behind him. With a deep breath, Kurt turned around and turned on his own shower right beside Sam's.

Kurt grabbed his loofah and body wash and began to clean himself of all the sweat on his body. He closed his eyes for a moment and let the hot water ease his muscles. Sifu had spent the last few hours drilling him around an obstacle course, along with Sam. Once they were done vaulting and jumping every which way, Sifu took Kurt and began to teach him Kung Fu. Kurt soon understood why Sifu Kojaro only wanted to take serious students. Kung Fu while in the movies looked amazing; in real life it took a lot of effort to be so graceful and power. For the last half of the lesson Kurt was brought back upstairs and with the equipment he was taught the proper way to punch and kick, which took him a while, since he had never punched anyone or anything. After that it was kicking and then he learned stances. From the tiger stance to the rooster stance, Kurt was forced to shift from each one back and forth, with Sifu Kojaro correcting him over and over again.

In truth the entire thing reminded him of dancing. It was like learning choreography only this was for fighting not for the stage. His movements had to be very specific; as it made a world of difference if he turned his toes out ninety degrees instead of his heal. Something he learned rather quickly after falling on his face a few times. But, Sifu Kojaro was very patient with him, and taught him step by step the whole way. He had a very long way to go, but Kurt was very eager to get there. Aside from being physically demanding, Kurt also had to admit he found equally exhilarating.

Kurt looked back over at Sam as he washed his hair turning his nose up at the generic shampoo Sam had decided to use.

"You know if you come to the mall with me and Mercedes I'm sure we can find you a better shampoo."

"What's wrong with this one?" Sam shrugged.

"It's not really good for color treated hair" Kurt chuckled.

"You're never going to let that go are you?" Sam laughed.

"It might look good on you but I have to say your natural hair color looks just as nice" Kurt said seriously although still smiling.

"You've never seen my natural hair color before" Sam looked confused.

"Actually I have. I said it before, your carpet doesn't match your drapes" Kurt laughed out loud.

"Hey, at least I have a carpet!" Sam shot back pointing his finger at Kurt's hairless crotch, laughing just the same.

"So I like hardwood floors, sue me" Kurt responded. "At least I don't have to worry about matching."

"I don't know why you're so set on buying the most expensive hair products. Doesn't that seriously drain your cash?"

"Yes, but a diva must always look fabulous" Kurt replied.

"Maybe, but divas are chicks, and your definitely not a chick" Sam pointed out.

"I'm a male diva" Kurt said clearly proud of himself.

"Well if a diva is girl, then what do you call a guy diva?"

"I believe their called divos."

"Then doesn't it make more sense to say you're a divo instead of diva?"

"Most people wouldn't understand I mean diva" Kurt shrugged.

"I think that's what I'll call you from now on since it makes more sense then diva" Sam laughed.

"Don't start with me, Lemon-head" Kurt shot back making them both laugh once more.

They both had a good hard laugh, and Sam was relieved that Kurt was finally easing up and feeling more comfortable. While it was an unusual situation and guys don't normally talk while they are showering, it was obvious Kurt needed to talk to let go of his nervousness.

"Uh, Sam, can I ask you something?" Kurt said sounding very serious out of the blue.

"Sure Kurt" Sam replied.

"Well, before when we were talking, you sounded really down about your training."

"It's not that Kurt…" Sam trailed off. "It's just… well, when my dad and uncle were little kids; my grandfather taught them how to run the farm. But on top of that he also taught them how to fight. Remember how I told you I learned step dancing this summer?"

"Yeah, you said it was a family tradition."

"Well, when I was a kid the only one who taught me anything was my uncle on those few occasions he would come over for holidays. My dad couldn't be bothered to teach me anything. And now years later I'm only starting to learn things I should have learned ages ago."

"Don't worry Sam, I know you can make up for lost time and learn all those things" Kurt tried to encourage his friend.

"I know, it's just… I always wanted to learn all these things, it's my heritage and I'm proud of it and all. I always imagined I would be teaching these things to my own kids one day when I got married and had kids of my own. But… my dad… he never bothered to teach me any of it. I would keep asking until finally I just stopped asking one day. He didn't think I was worth teaching any of it to."

"He was wrong, Sam" Kurt said. "And you should prove him wrong."

"Thanks Kurt" Sam responded with a small smile.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to the mall?" Kurt offered again.

"Well, I still got that gift card from Santana I got to use. But I have to go see Artie and give him the walkie-talkies."

"Well, why don't you meet up with us after? It won't take long for you to drop those off and you can just drive back to the mall after."

"Sounds like a plan. Just promise me you're not inviting me along to help you both carry your shopping bags" Sam smirked.

"And what's wrong with that? You should be able to use those large muscles for something" Kurt joked.

"You got plenty of muscles of your own Kurt" Sam shot right back gesturing to Kurt's still nude form.

The both of them laughed once more.

-Scene Change-

Kurt was walking towards the salon in the mall to meet Mercedes. He was really looking forward to this. He hadn't spent much time with the diva lately and Kurt had to admit he missed her company. All the drama lately had him preoccupied, and now the prospect of getting a manicure and his hair done, along with some serious shopping with his best friend seemed like heaven. Sam had dropped him off and said he would meet up with Kurt and Mercedes a while later. Looking around he saw the diva already waiting for him by the salon.

"Hey boo" she greeted giving her friend a big hug.

"I'm sorry I took so long. Training with Sam took a lot longer than I thought it would."

"You were training with Sam?"

"Yeah, I've been up since before dawn exercising like crazy and after that we went to his uncle's martial art school. It was a lot of fun though. Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Sam to join us later."

"Sam's joining us?" Mercedes asked in confusion.

"Is that ok?"

"Of course it is, I'm just surprised, he wants to spend his day shopping of all things."

"He didn't have any other plans and he's been meaning to come to the mall to spend that gift card Santana gave him for his birthday. I was thinking afterwards we could all have dinner together and maybe catch a movie."

"Sounds good to me" Mercedes agreed and the two walked in to the salon.

The two were warmly greeted and seated quickly. As regular customers the staff knew to give them the star treatment. They both wanted to get their hair done, but Kurt talked Mercedes into also getting a facial and a pedicure as well. Kurt sat himself down in a white bathrobe next to Mercedes and the two began to dish on the latest gossip. The two friends laughed and relaxed as they beautified themselves when suddenly Mercedes turned to Kurt looking rather serious.

"Kurt can I ask you a question?"

"What's up?"

"Are you glad you quit the glee club?"

"Mercedes, I can't say I'm glad about quitting. I'm really going miss you guys. But, I just felt like I didn't belong there anymore."

"Kurt, I've been thinking… maybe I should quit too" Mercedes sighed.

"Why? Did Rachel do something?" Kurt asked, already imagining the prima donna driving Mercedes up the wall.

"No it's not Rachel… well it's… I mean…" Mercedes flustered.

"Mercedes, what's going on?" Kurt pressed, trying to get a straight answer.

"I'm so sick of never getting any solos. I know that sounds shallow, but I don't understand why Rachel's a bigger star than me. Why is it that she _always_ get's the big numbers and the moments in the sun?" Mercedes questioned sounding more and more defeated.

"Mercedes, Rachel Berry _is not_ a bigger star than you" Kurt immediately declared, almost yelling, surprising Mercedes.

"Mercedes, you sing just as amazingly as Rachel does," Kurt said with total conviction.

"And everyone actually likes me" Mercedes half joked.

"Exactly, but that's just it Mercedes, unlike Rachel you're not completely dependent on the spot light. You actually have a life and people who love you when you're not on that stage. For Rachel, there is nothing she wouldn't do for that one perfect moment on the stage underneath that spotlight. Even if it means taking it all for herself and leaving the rest of us in the dark. And Mr. Schue just lets her because if she doesn't get the lead she'll just throw a tantrum until she gets her way."

"So what should I do Kurt?"

"Mercedes, I say you go in there and you _take _that perfect moment from Rachel. She can't get her way all the time and you need show Mr. Schue exactly how fabulous Mercedes Jones truly is" Kurt declared.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Kurt simply smiled and told her he had an idea.

-Scene Change-

Sam had dropped off the walkie-talkies with Artie. Artie said he would be ready to go tomorrow night and that as long as they were careful, they wouldn't have a problem sneaking Artie out of his house. He would leave his back door open so Sam could get in and help him sneak out and then back in once they were done. Sam also called Mike to make sure he would be ready Monday morning. So far everything seemed to be going as planned. He texted Kurt to let him know he was on his way to the mall.

Once he got there he met up with Kurt and Mercedes in the food court. They were both looking over Kurt's portfolio, with Kurt explaining something about the song selection. Mercedes looked a little spooked for a second but Kurt told her Sam knew about the portfolio also and it was ok. She looked at Kurt shocked for a moment obviously not understanding why Sam would know about the portfolio. Before she could ask though, Sam greeted them warmly and sat down with them at the table.

"Hey you guys, sorry I'm late" Sam said.

"It's ok, you would have been bored just waiting for us to be done at the salon anyway" Kurt said with a smile.

"So what do you guys want to do now?" Sam asked looking between the both of them.

"Well I had this musical number idea for Mercedes, but we need the right dress to go with it. Plus I got to update my entire wardrobe since I've seem to have grown in height by three inches this past year" Kurt answered.

"Since that's going to take the most time, let's do that first" Sam agreed.

"You sure you don't mind?" Mercedes asked.

"Nah, it's cool. Besides we got most of the day, and we can take care of my stuff after."

So with that the trio went off in search of clothing. Kurt insisted they shop for the dress first since that was more important. Kurt asked Sam to give them an honest opinion to which Sam agreed. However, before he knew it, Sam was dragged to three different shops and not a single one had a dress that either Kurt or Mercedes could agree. Watching the two best friends go on and on about hemlines and color schemes and so on was like watching to people argue in a different language. He didn't understand most of what they were talking about and he was actually becoming increasingly bored. Maybe it was because he was just an average guy or because he was straight, but Sam couldn't understand what the big deal was when it came to fashion. By the time he sat down in the fourth store he was actually getting tired, and didn't notice he had drifted off until Kurt shook his shoulder to wake him.

"Sam wake up will you" Kurt huffed. "We need to know what you think about the dress."

Sam shook his head to try and clear the drowsiness away. He looked up and for a moment thought he was still asleep as he looked at Mercedes. Kurt watched Sam's reaction, holding back his laughter as Sam's eyes went wide and looked at Mercedes completely stunned by the beauty in front of him.

"Wow Mercedes" Sam finally managed to breath out. "You look really beautiful."

Suddenly fully aware of what he just said Sam's face went red in embarrassment while Kurt looked on in triumph, and Mercedes blushed also, only with a very happy smile on her face.

"Kurt Hummel does it again" Kurt proclaimed proudly and called the attendant to let them know they were going to buy the dress.

"Uh, I'm going to get something to drink" Sam spoke hastily. "Would you like you me to get you something to drink?"

"An iced coffee sounds really good right now" Mercedes said.

Sam just nodded and took off, making Kurt chuckle.

"I think that makes two guys at McKinley smart enough to recognize the hotness that is Mercedes Jones."

"Kurt!" Mercedes admonished. "Sam's dating Quinn."

"I know Mercedes," Kurt laughed. "But that doesn't mean Sam can't see how amazing you are. And if that was from the dress alone, just wait until Monday when you do your number and blow everyone away."

The two friends squealed in excitement and from there went on to buy Kurt's new clothes. Sam came back with Mercedes coffee by the time they finished paying for the dress. Mercedes thanked the blonde for the drink making the both of blush once more, which made Kurt chuckle a bit. The rest of their time in the mall passed rather quickly. Kurt picked out his new clothes and Sam went to the sports store to spend the gift card Santana had brought him. He walked up with a set of solid thirty pound weights to use at home. After that Sam wanted to go to Game Stop to check out some games. Once that was done they decided to head to the movies and then to Breadstix for dinner.

-Scene Change-

The trio was finishing up their meal, enjoying each others company. Kurt didn't realize how hungry he was until his food was brought to him. All of the working out had really taken a lot out of him. He had surprised himself when he was the first one to finish his meal. Even though he was still mindful of his manners he had practically inhaled his food.

"Damn boo; did you eat at all today?" Mercedes asked in astonishment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude" Kurt said in embarrassment.

"It's ok; we probably should have gotten something to eat while we were at the mall.

"Yeah, I got so caught up in shopping that I forgot to eat lunch."

"Well, we did a huge work out today so you need the energy" Sam declared.

"I still had a great time today though" Kurt declared.

"Me too" Sam agreed.

"Same here," Mercedes chimed in. "Hopefully we can do this again real soon."

"Sounds good to me," Sam said. "Maybe next time we can get Quinn to come along."

"Are you done sir?" the waitress asked as she walked up to their table.

"Oh yes, definitely" Kurt replied allowing her take his empty plate. "I'm going to freshen up a bit" he then said and went off to the bathroom.

Left alone the two began to talk about the movie and Sam began doing his impersonations, actually making Mercedes laugh.

"White boy for real, you have no game what so ever" Mercedes laughed.

"Oh come on that was my James Earl Jones impression" Sam laughed as well.

"Does that actually work on Quinn?"

"No" Sam admitted simply.

"What's wrong?" Mercedes asked sensing something was up.

"Nothing it's just, well Quinn and I are… well I don't really know."

"I thought you guys were really happy together" Mercedes said. "I mean you two seem like your always holding hands and making those goo goo eyes at each other whenever I see you guys together in school."

"It's complicated" Sam began.

"What's complicated?" a voice cut in.

The two looked up to see none other than Finn standing behind their table along with Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, trying to break the glare Finn was sending Sam.

"We came here to have dinner" Rachel explained taking Finn's hand in her's while she eyed the table looking back and forth between Sam and Mercedes.

"We were going to spend the day together but since Kurt said he was going to tutor Sam all weekend I had to cover his shift at the garage" Finn answered in accusatory tone as he eyed. Sam

As if on cue Kurt decided then and there to appear from the men's room. Thankfully, Finn and Rachel were facing away from Kurt's direction with their backs facing him. Sam quickly motioned for the door, and Kurt nodded. Finn turned his back to see what Sam was looking at, making Kurt duck behind the hostess station. Rachel looked suspiciously around but saw nothing either.

"Kurt went to Artie's house to try and get some of the assignments I needed and to help Artie out with a project" Sam said forcing their attention back towards them.

"Then why are you having dinner with Mercedes" Rachel asked, obviously implying what Sam and Mercedes were up to.

"We met up here" Mercedes cut in.

She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like Rachel's tone one bit. Mercedes Jones was not some home wrecker; her mother had certainly taught her better than that.

"Kurt's been drilling me all day in chemical composition and I needed a break. I was in the mood for some lasagna so I came here. Mercedes was already here when I got here."

"Yeah, when we met up we decided to get a table and enjoy a meal together" Mercedes continued seeing Kurt shoot out the door front finally.

Sam signaled for the check and the hostess came by to tell Finn and Rachel their table was ready. Quickly paying the check Sam escorted Mercedes out like a true gentleman, both ignoring the looks they were receiving from the self-proclaimed 'it' couple of glee. As soon as they were out the door Sam found Kurt hiding behind his jeep.

"Kurt, call Artie, and let him know Finn or Rachel might call him to check on you. I told them you were with Artie getting some assignments together."

Kurt nodded immediately getting into the jeep before Finn and Rachel decided to look outside.

"What is going on? What the hell was all that about?" Mercedes cut in, obviously wanting answers.

"It's really complicated, but right now Finn and Rachel have some beef with Kurt. Rachel is snooping around trying to get dirt on Kurt to force him into having a diva off again to prove she's better than Kurt. And Finn is just being a complete douche to Kurt right now."

"Ok, Artie says he'll tell me if Finn or Rachel calls him to check on where I am" Kurt sighed from his car seat.

"Boo, what is going on, cause I know there's more to it than what you guys are telling me" Mercedes said with her hands on her hips looking between both of the boys in front of her

"I promise I'll explain everything when this is all over" Kurt declared. "But we got to get out of here right now.

"Ok Kurt, but you owe me some answers."

"I'll tell you everything on Friday" Kurt told his friend to which he was grateful to receive a nod from.

Kurt hugged her goodbye and Sam said he would escort her to her car, leaving Kurt hiding in the jeep.

"I'm sorry our night has to end like this Mercedes, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with you and Kurt today. Although, I don't think clothes shopping will ever be my thing"

Mercedes laughed and the two of them gave each other a hug goodbye. Like a gentleman Sam held open Mercedes car door open for her making her blush once again. The two said goodbye one last time and Sam went back to his jeep were Kurt was still waiting. When they were both a block away they let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close" Kurt said as he sat back up in the car seat, not bothering to hide anymore.

"Tell me about it. Those two are going to be hell all week."

"Once Monday starts it won't matter. Everything will have started and I'll be in lock down with the rest of the Cheerios getting the routine perfectly except on lunchtime. So I won't even be around for them to hassle me."

"That's not going to stop Rachel though, and Finn you're going to have to deal with at home" Sam pointed out.

"Sam, we got bigger fish to fry right now. I am long past caring about Rachel's insanity or Finn's idiocy. If they can't grow up, it's their problem. Right now I'm more worried about taking down Sue Sylvester. Once that's taken care of I'll find some way to deal with those two. For right now, let's just focus on making it through this weekend without everything blowing up in our faces."

Sam agreed and the rest of the drive was passed in silence. Each of them contemplating what was ahead of them this coming week. Sam pulled into his driveway noticing his uncle was home. At the door they were both greeted warmly by Fenrir.

"You boys are home early" the Major said as he saw them come in the front door.

"We didn't want to stay out too late since we got plans early tomorrow morning" Sam said as he petted Fenrir's head.

"You boys rest up then, you've had a big day" the Major agreed.

They both said good night to the major and went upstairs to Sam's room.

"It's still early; do you want to watch a movie?" Sam asked.

Kurt nodded the two decided to watch Batman Returns. As the movie played they both undressed for the night, leaving Kurt in a t-shirt and sweat pants, and Sam in his underwear and an undershirt. The both of them got comfortable on Sam's bed and Kurt grabbed his portfolio.

"What are you working on?" Sam asked as Kurt wrote in the book.

"Well, I've done all I can with my section. I'll photo copy it and send it in with the DVD copy. But I haven't updated the statistic pages since glee started last year. And since you only just joined there is barely anything in your section at all" Kurt explained.

"Can I see?" Sam asked as he scooted closer to his friend.

"Sure" Kurt replied and placed the book in between there laps so they could both see.

Sam looked over his section smiling as he saw a few Irish songs in his section like 'Danny Boy'.

"Kurt, you know that assignment Mr. Schue gave us for this week in glee club?" Sam asked, getting a nod in return. "Could you help me pick a song for Quinn?"

"But, of course" Kurt happily agreed. "I know plenty of love songs."

"Actually, it's not a love song I want to sing Kurt."

"What's going on?" Kurt asked hearing the dismay in his friend's voice.

"Me and Quinn… I don't know Kurt. It's like she's two different people. When I first met Quinn and looked in her eyes…" Sam drifted off remember how he felt in the bathroom when Quinn helped him clean off the slushy. "It's like she's completely… superficial. Whenever were alone all she talks about is the too of us being prom queen and king. When we're not alone or in school she refuses to even acknowledge we're dating, unless she wants to show me off in the hallways. It's feels more like she's using me to get popularity points than actually caring about me at all."

"Have you tried talking to her about how you feel?"

"Yeah, but she gets all mad at me when I bring it up and right now she's super mad at me because of me bringing up how she was treating you over the whole head cheerleader thing."

"So what do you want to do then?" Kurt asked.

The two talked a bit more about the situation and Kurt suggested a song he remembered from a good while ago. It was one of those one hit wonder songs but the two agreed it was perfect for what Sam was looking for. He would need some help singing it so Sam figured he could ask Artie and Puck for help. Kurt continued to update the portfolio and when he was done he asked Sam about the song he wanted to sing tomorrow. Sam gave him the music to look at and asked what Kurt wanted to sing. They both looked over the music together, neither wanting to acknowledge how sad they both felt.

-Scene Change-

Even though they went to bed at a reasonable time both Kurt and Sam felt as if they hadn't slept at all as they woke up Sunday morning. The mood was rather somber and neither spoke as they both got dressed. Kurt skipped his skin routine and focused on his clothing. As he was buttoning up his shirt he saw Sam becoming more irritated. After failing for the third time to tie his tie, Kurt stepped in.

"Here, let me help you with that" Kurt said as he took the tie out of Sam's hands.

"Sorry, I'm just more used to wearing a bolo tie than anything else" Sam sighed.

"It's ok, Sam. I know how you feel" Kurt spoke softly receiving a nod in return.

"There you go" Kurt declared as he backed away and let Sam look himself in the mirror.

Kurt finished up putting on his on suit and then packed up the keyboard in the travel bag. Sam grabbed his guitar case and they both left the house only speaking when Sam asked Kurt if he wanted to drive, since he knew where the cemetery was. The sky was bit dark since it was still early, and as the drove Kurt began to wonder if this was such a good idea. He knew how Sam was feeling, and how much he needed closure. But the last thing he wanted to do for his Sam was open up still healing wounds and bring him more suffering. As he took his eyes of the road and looked over at Sam; seeing the lost look in his eyes that they were both doing the right thing.

All too soon the sight of gravestones appeared on their right and Kurt slowed down to find a place to park. Turning off the engine Kurt looked over at Sam who still looked frozen as ice.

"Sam" Kurt spoke, trying to get Sam's attention, with no success.

Kurt reached out and placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, gently shaking him a bit to get his attention.

"Sorry" Sam said as he rubbed his eyes. "This whole thing was supposed to help you feel better."

"Sam this isn't just about me. I'm here for you just as much as you're here for me. I already said goodbye to my mother when I was eight years old. You never got the chance to say goodbye at all."

"I know… it's just…" Sam trailed off not knowing what to say.

Kurt squeezed his shoulder giving his friend an understanding nod. With a deep breath Sam opened his door and got out of the jeep with Kurt in tow. The each grabbed their instruments and walked into the cemetery with Kurt leading the way. All too soon they found themselves at the final resting place of Elizabeth Hummel. Kurt could tell Sam needed a moment to collect himself, so he turned his attention to setting up his keyboard. He saw Sam reach into his pocket and pull out a picture and what looked like some kind of gold necklace. Averting his eyes to give him some semblance of privacy Kurt stood back and allowed the silence of the early morning to overtake the air around them.

"Sam" Kurt spoke softly after a few minutes. "Would you like to go first?"

Sam nodded and placed the photograph at the foot of the gravestone along with the necklace he had in his had. Looking over at the photo Kurt saw Sam and along side of another man, who could be none other than David. David it seemed was a very handsome man, and very well built. He was a few inches taller than Sam, with short brown hair and hazel eyes and sun kissed skin. Sam and David were wearing football uniforms with an arm thrown over each others shoulders with a huge football trophy in front of them, and a large grin on each of their faces. He had never seen Sam so carefree and happy.

The necklace that now stood by the photo made Kurt wince. It turned out to be a gold necklace, with a Celtic cross pendant. It was a beautiful necklace even for a religious symbol. However it wasn't the religious implication that made Kurt wince. It was the fact that the necklace seemed to have dried blood over a great deal of it. Kurt didn't even want to know what it could mean, but he had a good idea regardless. He looked away towards Sam, who had gotten his guitar out of the case, ready to play the song he had chosen. With a touch of the keys of his keyboard Kurt began to play bringing his instrument to life, breaking the morning silence.

_Step one_

_You say 'We need to talk'  
He walks_

_You say 'Sit down, it's just a talk'  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through_

Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong?

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

Already on the brink of losing control, Sam's voice began to crack a bit as he tried to continue. Feeling the hot tears begin to fall down his face, closing his eyes furiously to try and stop their flow with no success. The memories of David flashed through his mind. How he had confronted David years ago and how it had lead to the revelation of his brother's sexual preference. David's face was so full of shame and fear as he told Sam the truth. Yet, despite Sam's shock He pulled David into his arms and told him he didn't care.__

Let_him know that you know best  
Cause after all, you do know best  
Try to slip past his defense  
Without granting innocence_

Lay down a list of what is wrong  
The things you've told him all along  
And pray to God he hears you  
And pray to God he hears you

And where did I go wrong?

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

Over the years he had seen how the secret was eating away at David. He began slowly withdrawing from all their other friends in fear of anyone finding out his secret. Only Sam really noticed the change which made him angry. His brother was suffering and no one even noticed that David, who used to be the life of the party, suddenly became the silent shy wallflower. Sure, David still hung out with the guys and all, but he always let himself fade into the background unless it was out on the field or on the wrestling mat. The only time David was ever truly himself was when he was alone with Sam. __

As_he begins to raise his voice  
You lower yours_

_And grant him one last choice_

Drive until you lose the road  
Or break with the ones you've followed

He will do one of two things  
He will admit to everything  
Or he'll say he's just not the same  
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

The notes from Sam's guitar were beginning to sound erratic as his emotions began to take their toll. It was all too much to bear as he remembered the last time he saw his brother alive. That one single moment when David's face had lit up. For the first time in years David was at ease and smiled a real smile. But it was short lived, and because of his mistake he had lost his brother forever.__

Where_did I go wrong?_

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

Where did I go wrong?

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

How to save a life  
How to save a life

Where did I go wrong?

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

Where did I go wrong?

_I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

How to save a life  
How to save a life  


Collapsing on his knees Sam broke down completely. Kurt quickly enveloped Sam in his arms, trying to comfort his grieving friend. Sam tried to regain control of himself with little success. Kurt didn't care that his suit was getting stained from kneeling on the ground. His only focus was on the man in his arms. After about ten minutes Sam's breathing slowed and his sobbing stopped soon after. Kurt dried the tears off Sam's face with a silk handkerchief, receiving a grateful nod from his friend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall apart like that. This was a terrible idea" Sam finally spoke.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Sam" Kurt spoke softly. "You're grieving and it's only natural for you to be hurting. This was a good idea Sam, and there's no shame in crying either" Kurt passed Sam the handkerchief, allowing him to wipe away a few more stray tears.

"It's all my fault, Kurt" Sam lamented as he wiped furiously at his face.

"That is not true!" Kurt almost yelled. "What happened was not your fault Sam. You loved David, and you were always there for him."

"If I hadn't danced with him, he would still be alive, Kurt. I outed him and he died" Sam buried his face in his hands. "I was so _**stupid**_ to think that I could make everything better. That David being gay didn't matter."

"SAM!" Kurt yelled prying Sam's hands away. "Look at me!" Kurt demanded seizing Sam's attention. "You couldn't have known what would have happened. And yes, you did out David before he was ready, but it wasn't you that _choose_to kill him. It was those homophobic monsters who decided to kill him, not you."

"But-"

"But nothing Sam. David loved you, just as much as you loved him. Do you really think he would want you to go on for the rest of your life blaming yourself?"

"I kept trying to tell him… that if he just gave it time, things could get better."

"Sam, you were right, but sometimes you have to make things better yourself. And for right now the best thing you can do is to make the best out of your life. So that you won't ever regret a single moment."

Kurt enveloped Sam in a tight hug, to which the blond returned with equal measure. Sam picked up the picture and the cross and sat down on the grass next to Kurt.

"May I?" Kurt gesturing to the photo.

Sam handed it over, allowing his friend to see his brother more clearly. Kurt looked at the photo in silence and then over at Sam who still held the cross I his hands.

"Sam, may I ask…" Kurt trailed off as he looked at the necklace, not sure if he wanted to know why it was covered in blood.

"This was David necklace" Sam began to explain. "His dad gave it to him when he was younger when we started Catholic Sunday school when we were younger. David always wore it, almost never taking it off. He had it on the night of the dance. After they pulled plug I went to his room hoping to find him, but they had already moved his body. The nurse was still cleaning up though and packing away his stuff. When she wasn't looking I saw the necklace and grabbed it before she noticed."

Kurt just nodded and handed back the picture, not knowing what else he could say. They both simply sat in silence hold one another hand. The sky began to look a bit brighter as the time passed although not by much.

"Come on Kurt, it's your turn" Sam finally spoke to which Kurt nodded.

Sam picked up his guitar again, and Kurt braced himself behind the keyboard. A moment later they began to play and Kurt began to sing.

_Nana, nanana, nana  
I miss you_

_Miss you so bad  
I don't forget you_

_Oh it's so sad  
I hope you can hear me_

_I remember it clearly_

The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same

Where Sam's voice had sounded sadder and sadder as he sang, Kurt's now began to sounds angry and just as full of anguish. While his pitch was perfect there was something underneath the sadness that filled Kurt's voice. __

Nana,_nanana, nana  
I didn't get around to kiss you, goodbye on the hand  
I wish that I could see you again_

_I know that I can't  
I hope you can hear me_

_'cause I remember it clearly_

The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same  


It was Kurt's turn to cry now as memories from his own past resurfaced. He remembered how angry he was when his dad wouldn't take him to the hospital to see his mother any more. How sad he felt when they buried her in the ground. And how lost he felt after it all, and how nothing, even the cold hard truth of his mothers death made anything easier.

_I've had my wake up, won't you wake up  
I keep asking why?  
And I can't take it_

_It wasn't fake  
It happened you passed by_

Now you're gone, now you're gone  
There you go, there you go  
Somewhere I can't bring you back

Now you're gone, now you're gone  
There you go, there you go  
Somehow you're not coming back

The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same

The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same

Nana, nanana, nana  
I miss you…  


By the end of the song Kurt's body was shaking, as he stared at the gravestone in front of him. He stiffened a bit as he suddenly felt Sam drape his arm over his shoulder. Sam guided them back down to the grass and watched over as Kurt tried to keep control over himself.

"Just let it go" Sam said, rubbing circles on Kurt's back.

Kurt finally did and began to let loose his own pain. The counter-tenor cried into the blond's chest, letting all the walls around his pain go. After a few minutes Kurt forced himself out of Sam's arms and turned away.

"Kurt, what's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it?" Kurt stated shortly, not bothering to look at his friend.

Sam didn't let it go and grabbed Kurt, forcing him to look into his green eyes.

"It's just you and me here Kurt," Sam insisted. "So don't block me out."

"I was so angry with her" Kurt finally spoke.

"You were only eight years old Kurt. Any kid would be angry at losing their mom."

"No, it wasn't just that" Kurt stammered.

"Then what is it Kurt?" Sam pressed.

"When… when things were getting worse, and it was obvious my mom wasn't going to make it… I wasn't allowed to see her anymore. My dad wouldn't take me to the hospital to see my mom. My dad she didn't want me to see her looking so horrible. I said I didn't care but he wouldn't let me go" Kurt cried.

"I can't imagine how terrible that was for you Kurt" Sam said.

"I never got to say goodbye," Kurt began crying again.

"Kurt… I know this sounds terrible to say but take it from my own experience. If you had said goodbye you would still be suffering right now. I was there when they pulled the plug on David, and I don't feel any better about it. He still died, and nothing I did could have saved him. When David died, it felt like a part me died with him."

"It's not fair Sam!" Kurt yelled. "I lost my mom just because they found some stupid little lump in her breast!"

"And I lost my brother because of some homophobic guys thought they were doing the world of favor by killing a _fag_" Sam retorted.

"I'm sorry Sam."

"Don't be Kurt. None of this is your fault. We're just the ones left behind. It's never going to get better, but like you said before, we got to keep on living the best we can. We both have enough to regret already."

Neither said anything more and just sat in silent companionable contemplation. They both wrapped an arm over each others shoulder as they sat on the grass. Finally, after sometime Sam's stomach gave a loud growl breaking the silence.

"Sorry" Sam blushed a bit.

"It's ok, I'm hungry too since we both haven't had breakfast yet" Kurt replied with a small smile.

"You want to grab something to eat then? I think I saw a diner on the way here."

"How about we just go back your place and I can make us a nice big breakfast myself?" Kurt suggested.

"That sounds awesome" Sam replied.

They stood up and packed away their instruments and made their way back to the jeep. This time Sam decided to drive and got behind the wheel and in what seemed like no time they were both back at his house. The major was not home and neither was Fenrir. Sam said the major was probably back at the dojo with Sifu Kojaro. Once they took their instruments to Sam's room they both went back down to the kitchen. Kurt asked Sam what he was in the mood for with Sam replying he was hungry enough to eat anything. Thankfully the Major kept a fully stocked kitchen and Kurt got to making a large breakfast for the both of them.

When he was done Sam set the table for the both of them, and the two dove into their food with gusto.

"These pancakes are amazing Kurt" Sam beamed. "What did you put in them?"

"I mixed a bit of cinnamon and just a dash of nutmeg into the batter. Then I added some blackberries and ricotta cheese to kick it up an extra notch" Kurt explained.

"Thanks for making me breakfast Kurt."

"You're welcome Sam. Besides it's the least I could do since you and your uncle were nice enough to let me crash here this weekend."

"You're welcome here anytime man. With both you and my uncle cooking I'd be in gourmet heaven each night" Sam said taking another bite out of his short stack, making laugh a bit.

Kurt ate at a much slower pace but enjoyed the food none the less. Sam began to slow down as well but both managed to finish all the food on the table. They both cleaned up, leaving the kitchen spotless and went back upstairs to Sam's room. Kurt gave a big yawn as he sat down on Sam's bed undoing his shoes.

"Sorry," Kurt said as he tried to wipe the drowsiness out of his eyes.

"It's cool," Sam replied. "I feel totally drained right now."

"We had a big morning" Kurt stated. "Would it be ok if I take a nap?"

"I was thinking the same thing actually" Sam answered. "Mind if I join you?"

"It's your bed after all" Kurt quipped, making the blond smile once more.

They both undressed completely to their underwear and Sam slid under the covers. Kurt for a moment thought about putting on his sleeping clothes, but decided that he was too tired to go through his bag. Plus Sam was completely comfortable with him so he knew it didn't matter in the least. Sliding into bed next to his friend Kurt tucked himself in, letting sleep over take him.

-Scene change-

"Wake up you two" a voice declared somewhere over Kurt.

The counter-tenor opened his sleepy eyes trying to make sense of the blurry image in front of him. As everything came into focus Kurt saw the Major standing over the bed. He tried to sit up but found that he and Sam and snuggled up together in their sleep. His arms and legs were tangled up with the blond's and Sam was still asleep, with his head draped over Kurt's shoulder, using it like a pillow. He couldn't imagine what this would have looked like and hoped the Major didn't think anything was going on.

"Sam wake up" Kurt said trying to jostle himself free from the much large boy.

Sam grunted in reply obviously still not wanting to wake up, actually making the Major laugh.

"Lemon-Head wake up!" Kurt finally grunted forcing Sam's head off his shoulder.

Sam groaned finally waking up from his deep sleep. His hair was a mess and the whole thing would have been funny if Kurt wasn't mortified beyond belief. Thankfully the Major didn't seem upset at all, and seemed rather amused.

"You boys need to wake up" the Major spoke. "Kurt, your father called asking for you. You were due home an hour ago."

"Wait, what time is it?" Kurt asked and reached over for the night stand.

His eyes widened as he saw it was now just after six o'clock. He and Sam had slept the entire day away. There were numerous calls he had missed, most of them from his dad and one from Mercedes.

"Oh my God, I can't believe we slept that long!"

"Huh?" Sam grunted still groggy from sleep.

"Sam, I got to get home right now."

"Ok, I'll take you home" Sam agreed.

"Major, I'm sorry, I swear I never meant to cause you any trouble."

"Nonsense Kurt, you're a good lad, and having you here is no trouble at all. I told your father you were alright but he wants you home soon."

"Thank you Major," Kurt sighed in relief. "I appreciate all the hospitality you've given me."

"You're always welcome here Kurt. I'm happy Sammy found such a good friend in you" the Major responded.

"So am I" Kurt sincerely replied.

The major left the room and Kurt exhaled a breath he had been holding. Having the Major walk in on them sleeping like they had was truly embarrassing.

"Can you take me home Sam?"

"No problem, Divo" Sam replied.

Not having time to dress into anything knew or take a shower, Kurt put on the suit he wore this morning, ignoring the grass stains on the knees. Sam did the same with his own suit but left the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Kurt packed up his bag while he called home and Sam grabbed Kurt's keyboard. From the looks of it Kurt's father wasn't too happy Kurt hadn't come home in time. Kurt explained they had fallen asleep but his dad still wanted him home immediately. With a finally goodbye to the Major and Fenrir the two friends piled back into the jeep.

In no time they reached Kurt's house and the two made their way inside.

"Dad, I'm home" Kurt announced only to be answered by Carole.

"We're in here Kurt" she called out from the kitchen.

Kurt and Sam walked into the kitchen finding Carole chopping onions at the counter with Burt sitting on the other side. Thankfully Finn was nowhere in sight.

"I'm really sorry I'm late, Dad" Kurt declared before his dad could start. "I didn't mean to stay out so late."

"Kurt, I let you spend the weekend with Sam because you said it was important-"

"I know that, but we were working so hard we decided to take a break and the next thing we knew we both fell asleep."

"Fine, but next time I want you home when I say so got it?"

"Yes, dad" Kurt replied solemnly.

"Puck's down stairs, he said he plans to stay the night" Burt informed. "I don't want you guys staying up all night playing games, you have school tomorrow."

"We won't dad," Kurt agreed. "I'll walk you out, Sam," turned to his friend and received a nod in return.

"Goodnight Mr. Hummel, once again I'm sorry I made Kurt so late."

"It's alright, just don't let it happen again" Burt replied to Sam.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Hummel."

"Goodnight, Sam" Carole gave him a warm smile.

The two walked back out of the house and Kurt asked Sam to bring the keyboard into the garage since Sam was still carrying it.

"Thank you" Kurt stated as Sam helped him set the keyboard up in the garage.

"No prob."

Sam stood before Kurt obviously wanting to say something. Kurt simply waited letting Sam take his time.

"It sucks that we met" Sam finally declared.

"What?" Kurt replied a bit confused and also a bit upset at what Sam had blurted out.

"No I mean… ugh" Sam groaned running his hands through his hair. "Kurt I mean, it sucks that the only reason we met was because David died. The only person I was ever this close to was David, and he and I kinda stuck to ourselves because of his secret. I know it's know it's weird us becoming friends so fast, but I'm glad I got to meet you and even more to have you as my friend."

"Why Samuel Dean Evans that is the sweetest sentiment I have ever heard" Kurt gushed making Sam blush.

The counter-tenor gave his friend a heartfelt hug which Sam returned.

"I'll be at the end of the block tonight. Let me know if anything changes" Sam said as he pulled away.

"Are you sure you want to help me with this Sam? If we get caught-"

"We don't care Kurt" Sam cut him off. "You are not doing this alone. We're all behind you."

With that the two said goodbye and Kurt stood alone in the garage for a moment looking at the keyboard his friend had given him. With a soft touch he pressed down on one of the keys letting the F note fill the otherwise silent garage. A small but happy smile appeared on Kurt's face as he closed his eyes letting the note hold him in that single moment.

"_Quinn Fabray, you have no idea how just lucky you truly are. If you have any sense you'll never let Sam Evans go."_

Kurt turned around and went back inside he grabbed his bags which he had left near the front door. As he walked down the steps to his room he saw Finn sitting in front of the TV looking very put out, and Noah sitting on his bed, looking over what appeared to be music sheets, obviously trying to ignore Finn. Kurt saw Noah look up at his entrance, trying to ignore the flutter in his stomach as he saw Noah smile at his arrival.

"You look like crap, Angel. What the hell happened to you?" Noah asked half jokingly.

"Ha," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I had a rough morning."

"You fall of a bike or something" Noah joked looking at Kurt's rumbled and grass stained clothes.

"I don't want to talk about it" was all Kurt said and put his bags in the closet.

"You ok?" Noah asked in genuine concern at the sound of Kurt's somber voice.

"I'm just tired" Kurt shrugged and began to unpack his bags.

Puck wanted to press it further but he knew it was a bad idea with Finn in the room. So he watched Kurt silently as he grabbed some clothes and locked himself in the bathroom. A moment later he heard the shower running and decided to get back to choosing a song for Schuester's new assignment. As he turned back to his bed he spotted Finn giving him a strange look.

"What?" he spat out not bothering to pretend to be cordially.

"Since when are you so nice to Kurt?" Finn asked suspiciously.

"Kurt's my boy. You got a problem with that?" Puck challenged.

"I don't know what your game is Puck, but Kurt doesn't need you pretending you're his friend."

"Kurt _is_my friend" Puck said with finality. "And unlike you he at least listens to what I got to say."

"Last time I checked you were more into stealing other people's girlfriends than talking" Finn shot back.

"Then you never knew jack shit about me to begin with" Puck countered.

"Dinner's ready boys" Carole called from upstairs, interrupting their argument.

Finn caring more about his stomach, went right upstairs. Noah said he'd be up in a minute, wanting to wait for Kurt. He was about to open the bathroom door when he suddenly remembered last time he barged in on Kurt. The nearly nude imagine of Kurt made smile even thought Kurt was none too pleased. Not wanting another bottle of shampoo thrown at his head he decided it would be better to knock.

"I'm almost done" Kurt called through the door.

"Dinner's ready, Angel."

"I'll be right out" Kurt answered.

Kurt came out of the bathroom barefoot wearing a simple pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt. His still wet hair clung to his forehead a bit making Kurt brush a few strands of it away. For some reason Puck found the sight of Kurt being so completely casual intriguing. Even in just his underwear Kurt somehow managed to look like he was ready for a Vogue photo shoot. Yet it wasn't just the clothes. It was like Kurt had a different air about him. Seeing Kurt so dressed down was something he hadn't seen before, yet he somehow managed to look complete hot.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked looking at himself wondering what Puck was gawking at.

"Nothing, it's just… you look so different."

"Different how?"

"A lot more relaxed, and just…I don't know."

Kurt blinked not knowing what to make of whatever Puck was trying to say.

"Boys, your dinner is getting cold" Carole called.

"Come on, they're waiting for us" Kurt said.

"If I know Finn he's already inhaling whatever is on his plate" Noah joked.

-Scene Change-

Thankfully after dinner Finn went to see Rachel, but promised Carole and Burt he wouldn't be out too late, leaving Noah and Kurt alone for the first time since Puck moved back home. The two sat together and talked, discussing their plans for the night and how to get things done properly. Their only real obstacle was Finn. They had to sneak out of the house and had to wait for Finn to fall asleep completely before they could. But as soon as he was asleep the rest was easy since Finn slept like the dead. Once he was out almost nothing could wake him up.

Once that was done they decided to watch a movie together. Puck looked through Kurt's movies and surprised Kurt by pulling out one of his favorite musicals, 'Sweeney Todd'. Once the movie was put in, Noah made to sit down next to Kurt only to have Kurt move away to the opposite end of the couch. Noah felt a sharp jab in his chest at Kurt's continuing attempt to put distance between them. He sat down still not understanding why Kurt was acting like this and he decided he wasn't going to take it anymore. Half way through the first song Puck grabbed the control and paused the movie.

"What is your problem?"

"What are you talking about" Kurt looked at Noah, not understand the sudden turn in mood.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what? I'm just sitting here" Kurt declared.

"Don't play dumb with me Kurt, you know what I'm talking about."

"I assure you I haven't the slightest idea" Kurt insisted.

Noah moved over on the couch closer to Kurt making Kurt scoot further away.

"That!" Noah exclaimed in annoyance. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Moving away from me. Anytime I get close to you, you turn tail and run. Why?" Noah demanded.

Kurt was taken aback by the level of hurt in Noah's voice, but he knew it was better to keep his distance from Noah in the long run.

"I'm just giving you your space" Kurt answered.

"What is going on Kurt?" Noah pressed. "If I need space I'll tell you."

"I just don't want what happened with Finn to happen again" Kurt admitted.

"Kurt I told you before, I'm not Finn!" Noah yelled in frustration. "I'm not going to go all homophobe on you just because you're sitting next to me."

"I just don't want you to think I'm trying make you my boyfriend or something."

Noah's expression softened a bit as he look at how uncomfortable Kurt looked.

"Kurt, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry, man. I was out of line and it wasn't cool to fuck that waitress while you were waiting for me."

"Let's just forget about it."

"Kurt, I know you're not…" Puck stopped not knowing how to say anything he was feeling.

He wasn't good with feelings or any of that other crap. But Kurt had been super cool to him and he had hurt his feelings in return. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to make it better. Normally he would just tell whoever it was to shove it but he could never say that Kurt. What's more was that he truly was genuinely sorry for what had happened. Not knowing what else he could do he simply grabbed Kurt making him yelp in surprise and placed the countertenor right next to him on the couch.

"If I need space I'll tell you" was all Puck could say.

Kurt sat still not knowing what to do. Noah turned the movie back on and after a few minutes Kurt tried moving again only for Noah to wrap his arm around his shoulder and pull him even closer than before. Left with no other choice Kurt relaxed into the embrace and laid his on Noah's shoulder. Noah unconsciously began to rub his cheek against Kurt's hair, enjoying the soft, smooth, silky texture and the way it smelled. The action made them both relax even more as they continued to watch the movie.

"Maybe you should sing that song in glee" Puck mused aloud as he watched Joanna sing to a bird in a cage.

"I'm not in glee anymore" Kurt sighed.

"Are you coming back? After all this is over I mean."

"No, I just can't do it anymore."

"The only reason I joined was for Quinn" Puck admitted. "After awhile though I guess I stayed for myself."

"And now?" Kurt asked

"I don't know anymore. Right now I can't even find a good song for the next assignment we have."

_"Because now that you're gone, I don't know what to say" Puck mused to himself._

-Scene change-

Kurt was jostled awake by Puck suddenly. After the movie they had talked some more before Finn came back. Since it was getting late they all went to bed. Or at least they let Finn think that. Kurt got into his sleeping clothes and tucked himself in. He dozed off after awhile as he tried to listen for the tell tale sign of Finn's loud snoring. Now Puck stood at his bedside signaling him to be quiet. It was just past midnight according to Kurt's cell. He texted Sam to see if he was ready and then silently went into the closet with Puck.

"Come on" Puck whispered. "You need a black pair of jeans, a black hoodie, and some boots."

Kurt just nodded and went through his clothes finding the appropriate items. Beside him, Puck pulled his shirt over his head giving Kurt an amazing close up view of Puck's chest. Kurt quickly turned his back almost tripping himself.

"Dude relax, I know what I'm doing. I promise we won't get caught" Puck tried to calm Kurt down as he pulled down his sweat pants also.

Kurt just nodded but didn't turn back around, not wanting to face Puck undressed. As Kurt was dressing he received a text from Sam saying he was in place with Artie. Relaying the information the two hustled as fast as they could to get dressed.

"Is this ok?" Kurt finally asked as he turned around.

"Yeah, perfect" Puck smiled. "Here I got you these."

Puck handed Kurt a set of sleek, black leather gloves.

"They're just like yours" Kurt said as he saw Puck wearing a similar pair only in a larger size.

"You don't want to leave your fingerprints behind when your breaking and entering" Puck chuckled.

"Puck… if we get caught, you'll go back to juvie."

"I promise we won't get caught" Puck said.

"I don't want to drag you into my mess. I don't want anything bad to happen to you" Kurt replied.

Puck surprised Kurt by wrapping his arms the counter-tenor. Kurt looked up into Puck's face, frozen by the forwardness of Puck's actions.

"Trust me" was all Puck said.

Kurt nodded but before he could speak his cell phone went off.

"Come on we got to go" Puck said letting go of Kurt and grabbing his bag.

Kurt just grabbed his own and followed Puck, sneaking out of the house. It had started raining and Kurt pulled the hood up over his head while he followed Puck. Sam, like he said, was ready with Artie in his jeep. Kurt and Puck jumped in and Sam was off.

"Ok, Puck" Sam said as he drove. "Take this walkie-talkie so we can keep in touch while you're inside" Sam instructed and Artie handed Puck the spare. "Are you sure about the timing?"

"Yeah, the cops circle around every fifteen minutes. That's just enough time to break in. Just make sure you two stay out of sight and watch out for the police cars."

"Will do" Artie replied. "We'll keep a look out while you're inside and I'll be on stand by for the hacking."

With a deep breath Kurt just sat back while Sam drove, listening to the details as he looked out into the dark road in the night. Before he knew it they were a block away from the school. He waited a few minutes, and like clockwork a police car passed by shining its bright light around the schools perimeter. As soon as the coast was clear Puck and Kurt took off at a sprint for the back door school. The door of course was locked but still posed no trouble as Puck pulled out a lock pick kit. Kurt asked where he learned to pick locks to which Puck simply gave him wink and a devilish smile.

Kurt smiled at the badass while holding the flash light steady on the lock. With a click the door was opened and the two quickly went inside before another police car went by.

"Ok, we got to go to Sue's office first" Kurt declared as the two emerged into the empty hallway.

"What for? Don't we got to get the files from Figgins' office?"

"Yeah, but we are going to need some insurance. Come on" Kurt commanded.

Puck followed Kurt, not understanding what Kurt was planning. Producing a key from his pocket Kurt opened Sue's office door.

"How did you get the key?" Puck wondered.

"Head Cheerleader" was Kurt's only response.

Going to the filing cabinet in the corner Kurt opened the top drawer and reached all the way into the back. He pulled out what looked like several CD's.

"What are those?"

"Remember last year when I stole that music video Sue made?"

"Yeah."

"Well with that video there were also all these discs" Kurt explained. "I only went through that first one but I'm sure we can find some heavy blackmail material in the rest of these."

With that Kurt pulled his laptop out of his bag and began looking through the discs.

-Scene Change-

Puck was still trying to shake the images he had seen out of his head. The first disc they had copied into Kurt's computer was a sex tape of Figgins and Sylvester together. The sight made almost made him and Kurt gag. He would never look at whip cream the same way ever again. Trying to force the images out of his mind He focused on picking the lock to the principal's office. Kurt had been strangely quiet since the left Sue's office but he figured it was the trauma of what he had seen. Once the door was opened they each set about their own tasks.

Kurt quickly got on the walkie-talkie and began following Artie's instruction on how to break into Figgins computer. He went to the filing cabinets and looked through it for his file.

"Dude" Puck exclaimed. "My file is three volumes long. I don't even remember doing most of this" Puck said as he put the files on the desk.

Kurt chuckled at Noah and told him to start making all the copies they would need. Artie continued relaying instructions to Kurt while Noah did so. After what seemed like forever they were done. They made sure they put things back in order, leaving no trace they were ever there. Puck lead the way out, locking the door behind them. Just as they were making their way out of the school Sam's voice came out o the walkie-talkie, stating there was a car headed there way. Kurt froze in fear, not knowing what to do. Just as the car's police light rounded the corner Puck took action and tackled Kurt to the ground behind a set of bushes. Kurt's heart was racing a mile a minute as the light passed over where they were hiding.

"Don't worry, just stay still" Puck whispered, trying to calm Kurt down as he pressed his body flush against Kurt's pinning him to the wet grass.

Puck's soothing voice helped him relax a bit but the fact that Puck was completely on top of him left him feeling on edge. Kurt shivered but he couldn't tell if it was because of the rain that was soaking them both or the fact that he could feel Puck's hot breath on his neck. Puck couldn't deny how amazing Kurt's own body felt underneath his own. Even in the rain Kurt's own sweetly fragrant scent came through and he couldn't help inhaling it deeply, burying his face deeper into Kurt's neck. The police car forgotten, Kurt's heart began to race even faster as he felt Puck's tongue make a swipe against his neck.

"Noah" Kurt whimpered at the sensation.

Hearing his name from Kurt's lips in such a way turned Noah on even more. His dick was stiffening painfully in his jeans and he began pressing it firming against Kurt. Kurt gasped at the sensation, feeling Noah's large erection, his own body betraying him as it responded on automatic grinding back against Noah's. Noah moaned in Kurt's ear feeling him return the gesture. Breaking away from his neck finally Noah looked into Kurt's eyes. Somehow they had changed color again, this time into an intense bright green. Unable to take anymore Noah claimed Kurt's mouth with his own in a desperate need. Kurt returned the kiss with equal passion, matching the force of Noah's tongue with his own. Noah got even harder and began to grind even faster, feeling Kurt's own hard on against his own, not breaking the kiss.

Finally they both broke apart in their mutual need for air, panting wildly. Kurt shook his head trying to clear the lust away, trying to think rationally. He couldn't allow this to go any further. It was insanity to let it continue. While he wasn't the one to initiate it he had no idea what Puck was thinking or why he had done… what he had done. As Puck tried to continue to kiss him once more Kurt stopped him

"Stop… we can't do this…" Kurt panted.

"Kurt… I don't understand… what's happening…"

"We got to go" was all Kurt said and pushed against Puck's chest.

Noah just nodded and got off Kurt, helping him up. The cop car had gone by and the coast was clear. They made it back to the jeep and Sam took off before the next car came by.

"Dude this was so badass. I feel like Mission Impossible or something" Artie declared as Sam drove with a big smile on his face.

Kurt just stayed silent, not wanting to even think at the moment. Sam asked him if something went wrong and Kurt just shook his head. Sam dropped them off and he took off to take Artie home. Not looking at Noah he took off toward the house with Noah just behind him.

"Kurt-"

"It never happened."

"Kurt-"

"It never happened" Kurt hissed.

Any further conversation was stopped as Kurt took off for the garage. Not knowing what to do, Noah went back into the house. After what had happened, Kurt couldn't deny the heart wrenching truth any longer; he had fallen in love with Noah Puckerman. In an attempt to calm himself down, Kurt pulled out the sketch book next to the sewing machine and began to write as tears fell from his eyes.

-scene change-

Noah snuck downstairs and locked himself in the bathroom. Kurt wouldn't talk to him and he was now more confused than ever before. Peeling off all of his wet clothes Noah turned on the shower full blast and stepped in. He stood under the spray letting the water hit his body, closing his eyes. Immediately the image of Kurt beneath once more sprung into his mind. The way Kurt felt, was amazing, the way he tasted was indescribable. Instantly, he felt himself get hard again as he remembered the feeling of Kurt's tongue in his mouth.

He tried to think of someone else, at first Santana, then Brittany. But no matter what, the image of Kurt and his intense eyes kept coming back to the forefront of his mind. Giving up, he reached down and grasped his cock. Stroking himself slowly at first, he moaned out Kurt's name. It didn't make any sense. He wasn't gay, and he never even thought of other guys that way, but somehow now the thought of Kurt had made him rock hard. No woman he had ever been with had made him feel the way Kurt made him feel.

Picking up the pace he grabbed some shower gel and spread some of it on his aching cock. As soon as the smell hit him, he realized it was Kurt's shower gel he had used. Angry at himself, he tossed the bottle away and redoubled his effort to think of someone else. Pumping his dick harder and faster he thought of all the cougars he had fucked. He could feel his orgasm building up, but for some reason he couldn't cum. His arms began to tire out but he was too stubborn to give up. He sank to his knees still holding his dick taking deep breaths. Spotting the bottle of shower gel, he froze for a moment before picking it back up.

Opening the bottle, Noah inhaled the sweet citrus and cranberry scent and poured some on himself. Letting the images of all the women he had slept with go, he allowed Kurt's image to shine through. He fantasized being in Kurt's bed with Kurt. Ripping off all of Kurt's clothes and fucking him straight into the mattress. Diving into Kurt's tight hole, pounding his tight ass until Kurt screamed out his name. feeling his balls clench at the image Noah came hard, his semen hitting the shower glass in thick ribbons. Once his breathing calmed, he cleaned himself up. When he exited the bathroom he went over to Kurt's bed intending to confront him only to find the counter-tenor wasn't there. Not caring that he was only wearing sweat pants he marched himself back out into the rain.

-scene change-

Kurt put down the pad finally. He had taken all his anguish and written out a song. He had wrote about all the pain he had been feeling and all of the problems he had created. Wiping away his tears furiously, he looked over at the keyboard Sam had given him. Since he had only written down lyrics and not music he couldn't sing the song he had written just yet. So instead he choose another song. His fingers glided over keys and he began to play. Unknowing that at just that moment Noah opened the door. With his back turned to Noah, Kurt began to sing and cry.

_I will promise myself I won't care  
Distracting myself from your stare  
And I've seen this mistake once before  
With your games I will never fall for_

I've hung up my guns,  
I won't kill again.

I won't forget you,  
I won't forget you,  
I'm not gonna let you win..  
(I'm not gonna)

But I'm tired of lying,  
Tired of fighting you,  
And it's not gonna change..  


Noah stood in rapt attention as Kurt's voice hit him full force. The sorrow and pain Kurt was expressing was like nothing he heard from Kurt before. Kurt thought of the stupid mistake he had made with Finn the year before and all the lies he was trapped in now. All he wanted was to be in place where he could truly be himself and have someone to hold on to. To love him completely for who he truly was. Yet now he had only made things worse.

_You asked for my heart,  
You know that I'm down,  
But not the way you lie to me..  
And tear it all apart  
And beg for me to stay_

I've sailed off to sea,  
I'm not coming back

_I won't forget you,  
I won't forget you,  
I'm not gonna let you win..  
(I'm not gonna)_

But I'm tired of the lying,  
Tired of fighting you,  
And it's not gonna change..  


Now worst of all he had fallen in love Noah Puckerman. What started off as an uneasy friendship now became something else. What exactly that was he didn't know. Noah had kissed him twice now, and he didn't know why. If this was the year before he would think it was all part of some sick twisted game Puck was playing, but he knew Noah now. The real Noah, and that just didn't make sense anymore. Nothing did and nothing was going as he had planned.

_Counting down  
Make that sound  
And you know it makes no sense.._

Counting down  
Till you mess around.

And I know you can't ever change,  
When I'm trembling  
Thrown overboard,  
When I'm ready to relive the past..

Counting down  
Make that sound.  
Break the silence..

Pretend it's not forever,  
I'll pull myself together,  
I'll say that I'll forget him,  
I'll breathe..

And I'll say he never hurt me  
And look at it as learning  
And laugh about the good and the bad..

Because I will live forever.  
We don't belong together,  
I know I'll feel better  
One day when I can make it through.  


Noah didn't belong with him, it was as simple as that. The idea of the two of them together was insane. Despite how close they had gotten they were still polar opposites. Not to mention the self proclaimed sex shark of Lima would never swing his way. But he couldn't explain the kiss away, or the obvious state of arousal he felt from Noah. It was all just too much to take.

_I won't forget you,  
I'm not gonna let you win..  
(I'm not gonna)_

But I'm tired of lying,  
Tired of fighting you,  
And it's not gonna change..

I won't forget you,  
(Counting down)  
I'm not gonna let you win,  
(Counting down)  
I'm tired of the lying,  
Tired of fighting you,  
And it's not gonna change..  


Kurt never heard Noah slip back outside and back into the house. After another few minutes alone in the garage Kurt decided it was time to go back inside and maybe get some sleep. The coming week was going to be a nightmare.

-End Chapter-

-Important Author's note please read!-

Songs used in this chapter:

Mahan Weeks - Comfort: I used this song because I thought it was pretty much what I think of Kurt and Sam's friendship. As they give each other comfort they are helping one another through each others pain. Just like true friends should.

The Fray - How to Save a Life: This song fit Sam's back story so perfectly I decided it was the only logical choice for Sam to sing.

Avril Lavigne - Slipped Away: I choose this song because once again I hate doing what's expected. Song was most likely not even on people's minds of possible song choices for Kurt to sing about his mom. But as I watched the show whenever Kurt mentioned his mother's death he always struck me as a bit morbid and angry about it. So I figured this song selection was perfect.

Silverstein - Discovering the Waterfront: I agonized over what song to choose to end the chapter in the end choosing this one since the lyrics match the most with Kurt problems and current predicament with Noah.

Ok everyone, here is the latest chapter. I am sorry it took so long but I barely have the chance to write and to top it all off I just moved out on my own and had no internet until just now. So first and foremost I want you all to know that this story is not abandoned. I will continue it until the end. I also want to express my feelings of gratitude to all of my reviewers. I hope all of you keep reviewing. It very encouraging and makes me want to write more. I also want to thank my beta reader Jason Dragon. I couldn't have written this story without him. He has written a story of his own titled 'For Good'. Look it up and read it and review it. The story is wonderful and I recommend it to all of you.

Now in the next installment I actually plan to break away from Kurt and focus on the other characters. Kurt's actions are going to have some serious consequences and affect many people. So please, everyone review and let me know what you think. The more detail and in depth your review the better.


	12. Chapter 1Important Notice

I am writing this now to let all the people still following this story that it is not abandoned. I will finish this story. I apologize sincerely for leaving you all hanging so long but shortly after my last update my life took a downward spiral. My best friends who I was room living with as roommates decided to leave me homeless as I came home one day to find them moving out leaving me with no way to pay the rent or any of the other bills which were mostly in my name. I had to beg my family to let me live with them and shortly after… well things got steadily worse. I wont go into detail but needless to say I was unable to continue with my writing. Now I have gotten a bit more stable and I can now continue with my story. I am currently working on the next chapter but I don't have as much free time as I once did so it may be a while but I assure you this story will be complete one way or another. I once again apologize sincerely for leaving you all hanging and I also want to thank those who sent me such positive reviews. I read them all and Im touched that you all love my writing so much. It's the main reason why Im taking up the pen once more.


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